


Blind AU One-Shots

by BohemianBeth



Series: I See the Light [2]
Category: Bohemian Rhapsody (Movie 2018), Queen (Band)
Genre: Blind AU Verse, Blind Character, Fluff and Angst, Multi, One Shot Collection, Series
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-11
Updated: 2020-07-12
Packaged: 2021-02-28 01:28:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 42,510
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22665535
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BohemianBeth/pseuds/BohemianBeth
Summary: One-Shots in the Blind AU verse.
Relationships: Brian May/Roger Taylor, Jim Hutton/Freddie Mercury, John Deacon/Veronica Tetzlaff
Series: I See the Light [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1550953
Comments: 56
Kudos: 45





	1. Sweetest Sight Ever Seen

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to my one-shot book based on the Blind AU. Read One Shaft of Light if you want some context going into this. Prepare yourself for some Maylor! I think I'll start with everyone's favorite chapter but told from Bri's POV instead of Roger's. Enjoy!

_Brian's POV_

I could be meeting my soulmate today! Or at the very least I'd be meeting a certain someone who I had developed very strong feelings for over the past few months of nightly phone calls. I didn't want to say I was in love yet even though it was true. I wanted Roger even if he wasn't my soulmate. I only prayed he felt the same.

"I'm not obsessed." I tried to convince myself as I tracked Roger's flight on my phone. Poor Roger was so afraid to fly for the first time. I wish I could be there to comfort him. I'd hold his hand the entire time and offer him my eyes. Of course my descriptions were never be as good as seeing things for himself. If that was all Roger could rely on, I'd give it to him. Anything to make him happy.

Shit! No, I shouldn't let myself fall this deep. What if we touched and my world stayed colorless? There was a chance Roger wasn't mine as much as I wanted him to be. I'd date him whether or not we were soulmates, but I didn't know if he wanted that. Besides, the inevitable heartbreak of one or both of us finding our real soulmate would be so very painful.

Okay, I had other excuses to be stocking Roger's flight. For one thing, my family was traveling with him. Freddie and John alongside their significant others were on that plane in addition to Miami. I wanted to make sure they made it here without any trouble. It wasn't all just about Roger.

According to the flight tracker on my phone, it looked like they had landed a few minutes ago. That meant Roger was safely on the ground, just a few mere miles away from me. "Yes!" I exclaimed but then quieted when the outburst got unwanted attention. I was in a public place. I kept that in mind as the questioning gazes went away and I ate my lunch in peace. What would it be like to share meals with Roger? I shook my head. Could I not go a moment without thinking about that chaotic little angel? My crush was already disrupting my sleeping hours because we stayed up all night talking on the phone. So why was he tormenting my waking hours as well? I needed to get a grip. No more thoughts about Roger until we were together face to face.

My phone rang. Oh good! It could be Roger. I missed talking to him last night because of the trip to Miami. I couldn't wait to hear that distinct high rasp that was his voice. I picked up, caught off guard by the phone going to Facetime. My heart sank. It couldn't be Roger. He had an old school flip phone and Facetime was of no use to him.

"Brimi, darling, you look so much better than the last time I saw you! I'm so glad you're feeling better." Freddie appeared on the screen. In the background I spotted Jim lugging a suitcase. They were clearly at the airport. Was Roger with them? "So did you get to the hotel yet? Were you informed of my special surprise?"

I grinned. "I was told I'd be having a roommate and the accommodation was made via Mr. Mercury. Freddie, I can't thank you enough. I don't know how you figured out that Roger and I are..." I trailed off unsure of how to complete the sentence. I didn't know if we were soulmates, and we weren't boyfriends yet. "...Well I appreciate it."

"Of course, darling. You two are adorable. I can't wait for your coming out party. Can I throw it? I'll get Joe to bake rainbow cupcakes for the occasion."

"Well you more or less forced me out of the closet, so I don't think a party is necessary. Besides, after I um...make things official with Roggie, everyone will know that I'm gay." I said.

"Everyone already knows, dear. You're so gay for Roger and it's just wonderful. I'm happy for you. What could be better than my best friend and favorite not youngest brother hooking up? Oh you'd better make it work and not screw it up, Bri. Because Roger is crazy for you. He hasn't stopped talking about you since we boarded the plane. The boy's gonna burst if he doesn't meet you soon."

"Roger talks about me?" I asked feeling my heart flutter. What could he say about me? He was the special one. So talented and clever despite his setbacks. Plus it wasn't fair that he was absolutely gorgeous. I needed to see him again even if it was just through a screen. "Where is Roger? Can you get him over here?"

Freddie called Roger over, and I watched with anticipation as he approached with uncertainty written on his face. Roger didn't respond to me waving to him on screen and I felt foolish for a moment. Of course he wouldn't notice, he couldn't see me. "Hi Roger! I missed having one of our little chats last night. How was your flight?" Brilliantly Roger was able to direct his attention to the phone just from the sound of my voice. He took it from Freddie. Although he wasn't directly centered in the screen, I could still see that beautiful wide smile. The way his face lit up was breathtaking. "Bri! How are you?"

"Wonderful! Especially now that I can see that pretty smile of yours." I replied.

That grin faded. "FaceTime again?" Roger asked. He really had no way of knowing. A selfish side of me was grateful he couldn't see me. Surely, he'd take one look at me and realize he was out of my league. I wasn't as striking as Roger and could never live up to that standard. I was lanky and too tall and...Roger was waiting an answer. I didn't want to blow my chances.

"That's right. Fred's idea. He really likes FaceTiming me it seems." I said as casually as I could. "Anyway you look phenomenal. I nearly forgot how handsome you were because it's been so long since I've last seen you. What's your secret? You've been traveling all day long and you still manage to keep that little twinkle in your eye." Ugh! I was coming on too strong. And I definitely shouldn't have brought up Roger's eyes as lovely as they were. That was dumb of me. 

"My eyes are dead. That's my secret." Roger stated. "Maybe dead eyes twinkle."

"I know your eyes are broken but they're absolutely beautiful. I could stare at them all day." That was the honest to God truth. I felt horrible though. How could I be so shallow? There was so much more to Roger than those superficial useless eyes.

"And you don't even know that they're a lovely shade of blue." Freddie blurted.

"How's life in color working out for you and Jim, Freddie?" I changed the subject. "Roger told me that Jim officially moved into Garden Lodge. That's a very serious step."

All I saw was Roger in the corner of the screen. Freddie could have been speaking in klingon for all I cared. My eyes were fixed on those that could never look back. They just stared blankly. Roger was so brave, traveling through the darkness to an unfamiliar place. And he was doing it just to "see" me. Okay he was doing it for John, but maybe there was a chance that he was looking forward to meeting me for the first time.

"Brian May!" Freddie cried. "Are you even listening to me? My face is on _this_ side of the screen, darling! Stop looking at Roger!"

"Then tell Roger to stop distracting me." Roger wasn't doing anything, but he was preoccupying me regardless.

"I'm blind not deaf. Tell me how am I distracting you, Bri?" There was a tease to his tone. If I didn't know any better I'd say Roger was flirting. Then he pursed his lips focusing his big bright eyes in my direction. My goodness! This man would be the death of me!

"W-What was the question again? I've lost my train of thought." I stammered. 

"Where are you, dear?" Freddie asked. "That doesn't look like the hotel, and I wouldn't eat that if I were you. I think someone's sneezed in it."

"It's split pea soup, Fred. No one's sneezed in it. You're just adverse to anything healthy. I'm eating lunch at a local vegan cafe." _'And I wish I wasn't eating alone.'_ I thought.

"Once you touch Roger and realize that it's the same shade of green as snot you won't find it as appetizing. Color is guaranteed to blow your mind, my dear." Freddie said making the assumption we were soulmates. Oh I could only dream. I prepared myself for possible despair. 

"Freddie, please, I like what I have going with Roger. Let's not make it into something it's not." I didn't want to acknowledge that us not being soulmates was a possibility. But I was a man of science, I had to consider all outcomes. 

"Something it's not?" Roger cried. "Why would you say that, Brian? What do you mean?"

"I really would rather have this conversation privately but the bottom line is this. Lots of people only date casually until they find their soulmate. That's not me. I like you Roger, and I want to see where this goes even if you're not my soulmate. Are we on the same page, or were you thinking of ending it if we aren't soulmates?" There, I put it out there. _'Please don't reject me, Roggie. I'll always love you, soulmates or not.'_ I internally begged.

"We aren't that serious." Roger replied hesitantly. "I mean we aren't that serious _yet_. I really like you too Brian. I wouldn't be able to tell if we're soulmates anyway. So I'm all in no matter what. And I'm sick of waiting. I just want to meet you already."

That's right. Roger's world would remain dark. He wouldn't be able to tell if he found his soulmate. I made a mental note to announce if I saw color if he was the one God willing. If that was the case, I'd celebrate like I had won the Noble Prize. I'd give anything to have Roger be my soulmate.

"Can you be at the chapel in about an hour?" Freddie arranged.

That was an odd request. "Sure." I agreed. "Why the chapel? The hotel has a nice pool deck where we could lounge and relax after the long drive and plane flight."

"Because Roger had a nightmare on the plane where he—Oof!" Roger elbowed Freddie and suddenly the phone was lowered so I could no longer see either of them. Instead an adorable dog appeared on screen. "Look now you can say you've met Ringo Starr." Roger exclaimed.

The famous service dog who was so good to Roggie. "Ahh! Ringo sure is cute!" I cooed. "I can't wait to give him belly rubs. He deserves it. Such a good boy!"

Freddie took back the phone. "I don't have much battery left, darlings, so I'll be quick. Brian, Roger wants to practice walking down the aisle with you so he won't trip. So will you meet him in the chapel?"

It wasn't supposed to be romantic, but somehow I was excited. In about an hour I'd be with Roger and I could hardly contain myself. "It's a date." I declared.

***

I felt funny just sitting in an empty chapel waiting anxiously for Roger. I wasn't sure what to do with myself while I awaited his arrival. I didn't want to miss him, but I figured a quick trip back to my room to pick up my guitar wouldn't do any harm. At least this way I had something to distract myself with. And what better song to play than the one that Roger inspired. I began to strum focusing on the music instead of my nerves.

"... _The White Queen walks and the night grows pale_  
 _Stars of lovingness in his hair_  
 _Needing - unheard_  
 _Pleading - one word_  
 _So sad my eyes_  
 _He cannot see..."_

I stopped playing when I heard a bang from outside. What was that? Could it be Roger? I felt disappointed when my father opened the door instead, but I tried to be polite. I hadn't seen Miami in a while and he was probably concerned about my well being after the hepatitis scare. It wasn't his fault that he wasn't the one I was looking for, so I shouldn't take it out on him. "Miami! It's so good to see you! Is everything alright? I heard a loud bang."

"I'd love for you and I to catch up, but I know I'm not the one you're here to see." Miami replied with a knowing grin. He ushered Roger through the door who stumbled forward accompanied by Ringo. "I'll leave you two alone. Have fun."

I was speechless. Roger was perfect in every sense, even more so off screen than on screen. To make matters even more unbearable he was wearing a tank top and skinny jeans. Freddie must have dressed him knowing we'd be meeting today. I wasn't sure I could handle this.

"Brian?" Roger looked around for me cluelessly.

I put down my guitar and began to walk closer hoping he'd hear the motion I was making. The clogs I was wearing weren't notorious for their stealth. As I got closer I noticed a small but nonetheless concerning red welt on Roger's forehead. I just wanted to kiss it and make him feel better. "Roger! You have a bruise on your head! How did that happen?"

"I-I walked into the door...is it bad?"

Oof! That explained the bang. Poor baby. I'd take good care of him now that we were together. Of course I didn't want to alarm him, so I downplayed the injury. "No, it doesn't look too serious just a small mark."

I was finally close enough for Roger to register me based on my body heat. He looked in my general direction, at his eye level only reaching my chest. Roger was smaller than I had pictured him, but that was okay. It made him even cuter. The problem was me. I was too damn tall. "A-Are you here?" Roger asked. Would a confirming hug be too much? No, I had to warn him before touching him so I wouldn't scare him off. I had to be a gentleman. "Right in front of you." I replied.

"Hi." Roger gave me a small nervous smile. It was so sweet. It was such a shame he couldn't even see his own pretty face in the mirror. Well from now on, I'd let him know everything that his eyes were missing out on, starting with how beautiful he was. "You're even prettier in person. I don't know what to say."

Roger reached up a shaky hand with a look of determination. I instantly understood what he was trying to do. We had discussed this at length on the phone. Roger was going to "see" me by touching my face. I only prayed it would result with me seeing in color. He caressed my top button and frowned in confusion. "That's my shirt, Rog. My face is a bit higher up." I clarified.

He tried again to reach me only growing in frustration. I was tempted to help him, but Roger had so little independence in his life. I might as well give him this. He had the right to discover on his own that his possible boyfriend had a significant height difference over him. "It's alright. Take your time. Just a little bit higher." I encouraged.

"You're tall." Roger finally observed.

"You're small." I teased.

"Am I?" He sounded so unsure of himself. "I do have trouble reaching the top shelf."

"You don't have to worry about that anymore. Now that you have me. Reaching high shelves is another one of my hidden talents." I replied.

"I'm lucky I have you then." Roger remarked even though I was the lucky one to have this sweetheart in my life even if he wasn't my soulmate. "And I'm lucky to have you." I told him. I wanted him to know that he should be valued regardless of sight.

Roger's hand continued to trembled making even less progress in finding my face as it seemed to come to a standstill. What would happen if I just skipped introductions and kissed him? Would that shock him too much. Maybe if I gave him a proper warning.

"Roger, I'm running out of patience. Put your hand down. I have a better idea." I said hesitantly. 

"S-Sorry." he murmured. "Just a bit nervous."

"No, no, don't be sorry. I'm nervous too. You're beautiful." I blurted. "I just...I want to try something. Let me come to you, okay?"

I slowly leaned in and Roger seemed to understand what I wanted as he stood still accepting the closeness of our lips. Still I wanted to be sure that he knew what I intended and I wasn't taking advantage of him. "Let's feel each other's faces like this, hmm?" I whispered. Roger agreeing by closing the gap between us, kissing me. I had dreamed of this moment from our very first phone call, and it was everything I could want and more from a kiss. My eyes fluttered shut in bliss. This was where I was meant to be.

"Mmm...Brimi, I love you." Roger sighed as we parted much to soon. I could still feel the softness of those perfect lips. He loved me. I must have done something right to deserve this. I opened my eyes not even focused on the soulmate aspect just the love that I felt in my heart.

Then color snapped me out of my euphoria. I saw in color! It was okay to love Roger back. We wouldn't have our hearts broken. It was meant to be. The world smiled back at me in different bright shades all new to my eyes, but none of that mattered. I only saw Roger. I tried to remember a moment I was every this happy. None came to mind.

"Roger, your hair is blonde!" I laughed in complete joy. I couldn't help myself I swooped my love up into my arms, spinning him giddily as I showered his face in kisses. Roger giggled all the while. "I see color!" I vocalized for Roger's sake and just to allow myself to relish in this dream. "You really are mine! I was so scared that it wouldn't happen. Oh Roggie, I love you so much! I'm so glad we're soulmates after all!" I could finally tell Roger I loved him. I was no longer afraid. Rejection was still an option but I tried to keep it far from my mind. Hopefully with this new colorful outlook I could tackle my sporadic periods of depression. If only it could be that easy. Well having my sweet sunny Roggie could certainly help at the very least. So long as he was with me and really was my soulmate I could attempt to ward away those dark thoughts.

However, Roger was still stuck in one of those episodes that I knew too well. Doubt and self hatred motivated his next words to me. "T-This...it won't work. It can't work. It's one thing to have friends, which is something I still can't believe, but I can't have a lover who's constantly making sure I haven't fallen down or gotten lost or hurt or whatever. You won't like looking after me, Bri. As much as I try to be independent I still need someone. I can't fully rely on myself. Do you really want to be with someone who requires so much attention?"

I refused to accept any of that nonsense. I aimed for a positive approach to this relationship. "Don't say those things, Roger! I know your father put those ugly thoughts into your pretty little head but they're not even close to true. Everyone needs a bit of help from time to time and I don't mind being there for you at all. I _want_ to look after you because I love you. Do you understand?" If I could look into his eyes I would be able to convince not only Roger but also myself that we were meant to be and could last. Too bad Roger kept his eyes closed tightly for no apparent reason other than to tease me out of finally seeing them in color. "Now open those gorgeous eyes please. I want to see them." Roger shook his head and refused to show me his eyes in a spout of stubbornness. Well I had my theories on why he might be afraid to open them after that kiss, but I didn't want to be overly optimistic...

"No?" I asked. "You won't let me finally see what those beautiful eyes look like in color?" I was tempted to say those reassuring words, but in this case they might be more upsetting than necessary. _'I'll still love you even if you remain blind.'_ Freddie believed that my (Roger's soulmate's) touch could give Roger the gift of sight. It would be cruel of me to mention that possibility to Roger and give him false hope. So I patiently waited in silence counting the seconds until I could witness that beautiful blue for the first time. Eventually I lost my patient. 

"Fine then, no more kisses from me." That ultimatum was sure to deliver right. I mean I was assuming Roger was still reeling from our kiss. At least I was.

"What?" Roger pouted. "That's not fair." Clever boy figured out to stand on his tiptoes to reach my lips and he would have planted a kiss if I hadn't cheated and stepped back. I chuckled as he smooch thin air instead of me. "No more kisses, love. Not until you let me see those eyes."

"You know I can be very stubborn." Roger warned. "And it makes no difference to me whether my eyes are opened or closed. So this won't end well for either of us. Give me back my kisses or I'll keep them closed forever!"

He couldn't keep up this stunt forever even if it made no difference to him. I openly flirted with him to get my way. "I guess we're at a standstill. And it's a shame because I really want to kiss you some more. In fact I'd like nothing better than to keep kissing you. All I ask is one tiny little thing. Just open your eyes. Please."

In a moment of defeat, Roger turned away from me in a surprisingly graceful manner. Then he announced the opening of his eyes with his back turned to me so I couldn't see them. What a little minx! I was about to say something to this extent, but then Roger let out a startled gasp.

Out of nowhere, he started to hyperventilate, his body trembling. It was almost like he was having a seizure. Was that common amongst the blind? Or maybe it was a delayed response to hitting his head on the door. I didn't know what to do. Should I call a doctor or something? "Roger?" He wouldn't respond. "Rog, can you hear me?"

"T-There's so much..." He spoke at last in a shaky whisper. Oh no he was crying! Was it because of me? Did I do something to make him cry? "I-I didn't know...everything would be so unrecognizable." Roger sniffled.

He turned to face me, but tripped over his own feet in the process. I caught him before he could hit the ground. Roger's eyes were still shut as I held his trembling body. Tears streamed down his cheeks. I just wanted to comfort him, but I didn't know what was wrong. "What happened? Why are you shaking? Do you have a concussion from when you hit your head on the door? Did I do something wrong? Talk to me, baby. I need to know you're alright."

"I feel nauseous." I put a hand to Roger's forehead checking for a fever or anything like that, but he felt fine.

"Shh. It's alright. Keep your eyes shut, honey. I'm sorry I didn't know. You must've hit your head harder than I thought. Just lie down on the pew and I'll go get you some water."

"No!" Roger cried. "Please don't go! Don't leave me!" I didn't dare let him go. How could I? That terrified cry was so heartbreaking. "I'm scared, Bri! Everything is so different and intimidating."

Or maybe Roger was scared in a good way? Was it possible? I didn't dare ask because it would disappoint him so much, but I so badly wished he was freaking out because he had just saw for the very first time.

Ringo jumped into Roger's lap to console him, licking his face. I caught a glimpse of those blue eyes at last when he opened them staring directly at the dog. Roger touched Ringo as he stared in puzzlement. Now we were both crying, but not the kind of tears I'd ever reject. I couldn't believe this was happening! It was too good to be true. "Look at you, buddy!" Roger embraced Ringo. "I _see_ you!"

"You see?" I squealed. "You can see?"

Those big bright blue eyes, no longer useless stared right up at me, clearly registering my face. Roger could see! "Roger, you're looking right at me!" I laughed. He saw me! This was unbelievable!

"I see and I see in color!" Roger cried. "I must be dreaming!"

Only the sweetest dream could ever be this miraculous. I just held Roger as both of us spilled our tears of disbelief and joy. "You can see!" I proclaimed.

"I see you." Roger stifled back more sobs. "You're right in front of me...and I see you." He blinked his eyes open and closed as if he expected me to be gone in a flash. As if he couldn't trust his newly restored eyes, Roger touched my face. Only there was a sudden focused look on his face as his hands explored my features. "Eyebrows." "Cheeks." "Nose." "Mouth." "Chin." He said each word aloud as if he were learning body parts for the first time. In a way he was. I could only imagine what was going on in his head. This all must be so overwhelming.

"How are you feeling?" I asked. "Do you like what you see?"

"I love what I see." Roger continued to stare up at me in wonder as he touched my face. Eventually his hands found their way to my curls. "It's so curly and puffy oh my gosh I love it! It's adorable!" He yanked on a strand of my hair. "Ow! Roger! Careful! Don't pull my hair out!" I didn't mean to yell. If anything I should be pleased that Roger found me attractive. Well for now he did. There was no saying what would happen when he saw other people and began to compare.

"Sorry." He sat up slowly. "I'm so sorry. This must be weird for you...You know all this stuff and I-I this is my first time...seeing _everything_!! Wow! There's so many things! I wanna see all the things!"

The world was all new to him. I couldn't wrap my head around what that would be like, to one day wake up and witness all these foreign sights. It could be scary, but I was determined to help Roger navigate. He was right though. There were so many things to see. Where would he even begin? Even light was a new concept to him. He had never seen the sun or the stars or...

"What time is it?" I got a brilliant idea. Hopefully we weren't too late. I looked down at my watch. "Perfect. It's almost sunset. You and I are going to watch the sunset and go stargazing. I refuse to let you miss that on your very first night with vision. We'll have a great view from the balcony in our room. Did Freddie tell you he booked us a shared room?"

"It was a surprise." Roger replied but he seemed preoccupied caring more about the world around him than our conversation. I didn't blame him. Without any hesitation, Roger gave me a tender kiss. He pulled away infectiously giggling to himself as he opened and closed his eyes some more. "I'm not blind anymore!" He exclaimed. "I see light! I see color! I see everything!" He opened his eyes one final time, staring directly at me. "I see you!" Roger threw his arms around me and kissed me repeatedly. I wanted nothing more than to continue this, but the sunset was my priority now. That was one thing Roger had to see ASAP.

"There will be plenty of time for more kisses I promise but I don't want you to miss the sunset. C'mon Roggie." I helped him up onto his feet and went to collect the Special. I never realized it had color before but now there was no denying it was bright red. I wasn't sure if my new favorite color was red like my guitar or blue like Roger's eyes. Hmm. 

"What's that?" Roger asked examining the guitar curiously. Ah, so much to learn. But I'd be there for him no matter what. "This is my guitar."

Roger's eyes widened. "That's the Special?"

"I never realized it was red until now. Look at that! I guess it's the Red Special now." I marveled over the new characteristic I had discovered of my favorite treasure. I always imagined how delighted I'd be finally seeing the world in color, but now it seemed like nothing could overpower how thrilled I was for Roger. "Of course it pales in comparison to how special you are." I found myself saying. Corny but true. 

"Really?" He asked skeptically. "But it was the last thing your dad left for you and you spent all that time recreating it and making new ones? That's why you call it the Special because it's so bloody special."

"I see color now because of you, Roger. You bring me so much joy. I love you." Heaven help me I was madly in love with this chaotic little bean.

"I love you too, Brian. I really do...And I wanna scream so bad." Roger said. 

I couldn't deny him that. He'd earned it. In fact maybe he was rubbing off on me, but I felt like screaming as well. "Just this once we'll scream together. On 3, we both scream. Ready? 1, 2, 3...."

"AAAAAAAAAAAHH!" I wasn't the screaming type, but this felt good. Or maybe it only felt good because I was doing it with the love of my life. Either way I was happier than I'd ever felt before and could only hope this feeling would last.

***

Everything was an experience for Roger. You'd think it would get old or annoying soon, but somehow I found each moment endearing. He'd light up at the smallest thing and it was a beautiful thing to watch him learn something new. All the little things I took for granted were now major milestones for him.

"These are elevators." I pointed them out to him.

"You mean lifts?"

"Yes back home they're called lifts. I refer to them as elevators now. I've been in America too long. I'm starting to become a Yankee myself. Anyway, this is the button you press to get them to open for you. Either up or down. See, the arrows indicate which is which. We're going up to our room so--"

"--Let me push it!" Roger eagerly pressed down on the up arrow button no longer having to rely on the braille description beneath it. "This is so cool!" He giggled.

"I never knew I could feel so complete just watching someone get excited over an elevator." I ruffled my hand through Roger's blonde locks lovingly. What a sweetheart! I still couldn't get over the fact that he was my soulmate.

"Lift." Roger corrected again. Not bothering to stand on his tiptoes, he kissed my jaw. I could get used to that. Maybe our height difference wasn't much of a problem after all. "I'm not dating an American, Brian." Roger teased.

My heart fluttered. It was a joking comment, but I hope he meant it. "Dating? Does this mean we're boyfriends now? Because I want that to be the next step for us. Are you comfortable with that, Roger?"

"We're soulmates. Of course we're dating and of course you're my boyfriend." He replied casually. I tried my best to keep my composure and just offered Roger a nonchalant nod matching his calm demeanor. The one time I wanted Roger to scream he didn't. Typical. Oh well I was screaming on the inside. Roger Taylor, the most perfect person in the world was my boyfriend. When did I get this lucky?

Roger stared curiously at the elevator--excuse me lift buttons. "What do those markings mean?" He asked. "They're just like the ones on your wrist."

Markings? I looked down at my wrist noticing my watch. Ohh. Roger meant numbers. "They're numbers. This is a watch on my wrist. It also has numbers."

"Ohhh. Yeah that makes sense." Roger understood. "I have a braille watch that I like to wear but I think I forgot to pack it. I don't think I need it anymore. So this is what a person with vision sees when I read numbers in braille?"

"Typically yes although sometimes people use Roman numerals which are different symbols. We're going to the 3rd floor, so button number 3 is for us." I explained. 

"Shit! I'm illiterate." Roger blurted. That beautiful smile he'd been wearing from the moment he saw my face suddenly faded. No! I wouldn't stand for that.

"No you're not. Illiterate means you can't read or write. You can read in braille and with the proper tools you can write in braille as well. You'll just have to learn. It's like a foreign language. Just because I can't read and write in Japanese doesn't mean I'm illiterate because I'm able to read and write in English." I reasoned. "And I'll be here by your side to help you every step of the way to learn everything."

"Thank you for being so patient and caring with me. I hope I'm not annoying you with all these dumb questions." Well at least Roger was self aware, but none of this bothered me in the slightest.

"No. I'm here to help. And you're so adorable. I want you to experience the world. Watching you see and learn about things for the very first time is priceless. I wouldn't reject it for the world." I gave him a reassuring kiss on the cheek. 

I held Roger's hand and guided him down the hallway to our room, purposefully walking slow so he could take everything in. By the time we reached room 3900, Roger's focus was on our interlocked hands. He wiggled his fingers up against my palm. "My hand fits in yours so perfectly." He observed. "It does." I nodded.

"Do you think that means _other_ _things_ will fit perfectly?" Roger asked suggestively. 

"Roger!" I scolded. I looked around to ensure we were alone. "At least wait until we're in our room please!" I said in a lowered voice. I wouldn't call myself a prude, but...there were certain things I'd rather discuss and do privately. Of course Freddie loved to say things to make me squirm and blush. Now there were many things I wanted to do to Roger that my big brother would approve of, but I didn't feel the need to boast about it. Roger wasn't the same when it came to kissing and telling it seemed. Oh well. So long as we could share a healthy sex life I didn't see the harm.

"Excuse me for trying to be romantic." Roger laughed. "So...is that a yes to those _other things_?"

I rolled my eyes and opened the door welcoming him inside. Now that we were no longer holding hands, Roger looked toward Ringo to guide him into the room safely. He eyed everything in the room in awe trying to figure out what was what.

"Are those beds?" Roger pointed. Why was I not surprised that this was the first thing he noticed? I couldn't complain though. "Those are beds." I confirmed.

"Can we push them together?" He asked tentatively.

"That's a really good idea. It'll give us more space for those... _other things_ you'd like to try." I felt myself blushing so I cleared my throat and looked away. This was Roger's first time seeing, and I didn't want his first impression of me to be a flushed mess. "I um don't want you to miss out on the sunset though. So why don't I push the beds together while you have a seat out on the balcony? There's chairs out there."

"C'mon, Ringo. Let's go outside." It was only supposed to be a few feet, but for Roger it was an adventure. He paused every few seconds to ask a question. "What's that?" "That's the TV." "What's that?" "That's your suitcase." "What's that?" "That's a drawer."

Then Roger screamed out of nowhere. "Fuck! Bri! Bri! We're not alone! There's a person's face! It's just a face! A floating face! It's a demon!" I followed his gaze above the drawer. He was looking at the mirror. Oh silly Roger! He saw his own angelic face for the first time and called it a demon. Years from now I'd remind him of this moment and we'd laugh.

"Roger, calm down. That's your reflection. It's a mirror." I said stepping forward to show him how I appeared next to him. I reached up and set the mirror down so it no longer just displayed our heads. 

"That's less creepy." Roger let out a sigh of relief. He scrutinized our reflections. "So this is me?" He asked examining his own face. "That's you." I confirmed. 

"My eyes are blue." He noted. I nodded. They were blue as the sky and I adored them. Now they were beautiful and finally served a purpose.

"What's this?" Roger inquired touching the bruise on his forehead.

"That's from when you hit your head." I gave the spot a loving kiss. "It'll heal soon, but what's a tiny imperfection on an otherwise perfect face."

Roger leaned in close to the mirror really inspecting himself. He opened his mouth, stuck out his tongue and examined his teeth. "Mom was right. I didn't need braces like Clare. Of course Dad wouldn't bother paying to get my teeth fixed up if they were bad so what does it matter." Roger stopped his rambling as he reached a realization. "I can be a dentist now!"

I was so pleased! Roger at long last could have a life! I was just honored to be a part of it and having him in mine. "You can do whatever you want. I'm so excited for you. I can't wait for you to achieve all your dreams. You can learn how to drive too just like you've always wanted."

Maybe I shouldn't have mentioned driving so soon. Roger bounced on the heels of his feet practically bouncing with excitement. "C-Can we scream again?"

"Honey, you just got your eyes back. Don't lose your voice." I laughed.

"I'm gonna scream." Roger warned giving me just enough time to cover my ears. He screamed. "I'm so fucking happy!" He yelled. "And I'm gonna SCREAM about it!"

I couldn't handle how adorable he was. "We're gonna get a noise complaint call from downstairs. "But it's worth it to see you like this! Come here, baby." I put my arms around him and situated us back in front of the mirror. "Take in how good you look. This is your first time seeing yourself and you need to know how beautiful you are."

"Me? What about you, Brimi? Look at you!" Roger pointed to my reflection. I cringed. How could he say that when I was standing next to him? "Look at _us_!" Roger insisted.

I took in the image as a whole now. We didn't look out of place or anything at all like I expected. Roger seemed to fit so snugly up against my chest as I held him. His straight blonde hair was a perfect contrast to my dark curls. "We do look good together, don't we, love?" I hugged him tighter.

The adoring moment was cut short when something in the balcony caught Roger's attention. "Ooh! What's that?" He ran to see whatever it was out there, but missed the glass door in his way. "Oof!" Roger slammed his head in the same spot from earlier. "Some things never change." He sighed. "Still clumsy as anything."

"Still cute as a badger." I corrected. "Let me get you some ice for that."

Roger stepped out onto the balcony as I fetched the ice for him. "The sun." Roger observed. "It's so beautiful! I've never seen anything like it...Well I've never really seen anything at all."

"Don't look directly at it unless you want to go blind again." I warned.

"Fuck! Is that a real thing that could happen?" He shut my eyes. "I won't look. It's not worth it to lose my sight again."

I shook my head and applied the ice to his injury. Roger recoiled. Oops. Should have told him what I was doing. "It's okay, Roger. It's just ice, and you can open your eyes again. Just don't stare directly at the sun for too long. Come. Sit with me." He opened his eyes and examined the ice noting its lack of color.

I sat down on one of the balcony chairs overlooking the edge. I had a perfect view of the sunset from here. I gestured for Roger to join me. I didn't expect him to take a seat on my lap, but that was the situation I found myself in. "I said sit _with_ me, not on me, Rog."

"Is this chair?" He teased. "I'm not really sure what chairs look like. Certainly feels like a chair and a comfy chair at that. In fact I'll go as far as to say that I'm in love with this chair."

"Alright fine you can sit on my lap if you want to. Now stop looking at me! There's a sunset right in front of us. I've never seen it in color before."

"I've never seen it all." Roger remarked, but he still didn't tear his eyes away from me. "Meh. Sunsets happen every evening. I don't think it could be as good looking as you."

"Likewise." I replied looking away from the sky for once. I wasn't sure who made the first move, but suddenly we were snogging like frantic teenagers. We just couldn't get enough of each other, passionately making out as the sun went down. "Let's do this every night for the rest of our lives!" Roger declared. I nonverbally agreed deepening our kiss.

Finally, we parted for air. By now, the sky was dark and the moon and stars were visible. Roger removed himself from my lap and stood up against the ledge to get a better view. "So magical!" He exclaimed. "Does this display of lights really happen every night?"

"Each and every night." I replied. "They're constant enough to track. Do you want me to show you?"

"Yes please."

I took his hand and guided it up mapping out various constellations and explaining them to Roger. This was my forte, so I got lost a bit in the information. Hopefully Roger wasn't too bored.

"That one's moving!" Roger shouted pointing to a meteor. He was just as eager as me! "Roger, you found a shooting star! Although they're actually meteors and not stars, but it's nonetheless magnificent to see one! Make a wish!"

I assumed he made a wish already when he turned back and kissed me beneath the starry sky. Well my wish had certainly come true. This evening couldn't be more perfect.


	2. 🍆

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roger goes grocery shopping.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Singles Awareness Day everyone!😘 The plot to this quick little one shot is literally in the title so I think you'll know what to expect...

_Roger's POV_

" _Happy one week of vision. Happy one week of vision. Happy one week to my eyesight. Happy one week to me!"_ I sang mindlessly to myself as I studied my alphabet sheets. 

I already knew how to read and spell so that put me at an advantage. All I had to do now was memorize the alphabet. Most of the other students in my class were learning to read and write in English as a second language, so they had to translate words and learn a new style of grammar. For me it was a bit easier because I just had to learn my letters. It was my first day, so the only homework I had was to familiarize myself with the alphabet. I surprised myself by how much progress I was making in such little time. I expected it to be more difficult.

I examined the second alphabet sheet, the one without the Braille translations underneath the letters. I pointed out the letters of my name, checking each one with the accompanying sheet for accuracy as I went. Yes! I got it right and didn't mix up any letters!

"Rog? Have you been in here studying this entire time?" 

I jolted in shock. I looked up in response to Brian's voice only to see him standing directly behind me. "I didn't hear you come in. How'd you teleport here?" Maybe I was too focused on my work to pick up on his footsteps. Although I should learn not to rely on my ears so much now that I finally had eyes. 

"I should have knocked. Sorry. I didn't mean to startle you." Brian gently kissed my head. "I was just concerned. You haven't made a peep since we've gotten home. That's not like you at all. The silence was getting to me. I can't imagine you've been doing your homework for the last two hours and it's kept you this quiet. How much work could Lisa assign you on your first day anyway?"

"I'm just learning my alphabet. I lost track of time I guess." I replied. I automatically read my braille watch, but then I rethought it and looked to the number symbols on the other side of my alphabet cards. "4:39." I pointed to the numbers trying to commit them to memory. "Shit! It has been a little over two hours, hasn't it?" 

"That's okay, love. I just wanted to make sure you were doing all right. I'll stop distracting you and let you get back to your work if that's what you want." Brian said. 

"No, stay!" I took his hand and smiled up at him. "I wanna show you what I've learned. Here, let me spell something out for you without looking at my translations." 

I shifted slightly so Brian could sit next to me on the chair, but somehow I ended up curled up on his lap. My favorite place to be. I held up my alphabet sheet and began pointing to the letters, spelling out a message. 

"I L-O-V-E...I love." Brian put it together. "I think I know where you're going with this." 

I continued. "Y-O-U. Aw, baby. I love you t--Oh, there's more." Brian realized as I pointed to the next letter. "R...So that's Y-O-U-R, your. I love your..."

I nodded and went on. "C-A-R...Oh Roger, why am I not surprised?"

"I'm still not finished, but I do love you and your car." I laughed. "I was going to say I love your caringness, but you get the idea." 

"That's not a word." Brian said. 

I frowned. "It's not?"

"The word is caring and that's an adjective. So you could say I love your caring nature. But caringness as a noun isn't a word." He lectured. 

"Well fuck you, Mr. Know It All Dictionary Man. I'm just trying to be romantic. Maybe next time I'll stop at I love your car and leave it at that."

"You could have stopped at I love you." He said. "Here. Let's try something different." Brian took the sheet from me and began pointing at the letters. With my translation sheet cast to the side I couldn't cheat. 

"I A-M...I am...P-R-O-U-D...I am proud...O-F Y-O-U...I am proud of you." I put the letters together. Then I comprehended what I just read. "You're proud of me?" I asked skeptically. 

"Incredibly so." Brian said sincerely. "Look how well you're doing, love. It's only been a week and you've adjusted to so much and you know your alphabet after just one day of classes. I could never pick things up so quickly. It would probably take me years to wrap my head around everything." 

I doubt I impressed him that much. He was probably just saying all that to be encouraging. "I mean I've taught you some Braille and you've been pretty receptive, so I doubt it would take you years. You're the smartest person I know. Hell, you're a fucking rocket scientist, Bri. This shit isn't rocket science. It's just....well it's the opposite of that. It's just the very basics." I reasoned. 

"Well we all have to start somewhere. Point is I'm very proud. Happy one week, Roger!" 

"I love your caringness." I said with a sheepish grin. "Still not a word." Brian shook his head and kissed me. 

I opened my eyes again as we parted for air. "One week ago." I sighed at the memory of that first kiss. "Feels like a lifetime ago." 

"It does." Brian acknowledged. "We've done at least a year's worth of stuff in only seven days. Found each other, vacationed in Miami, went to a wedding, moved in together." 

"Started a whole new life together." I concluded. I was still waiting for that proposal, but I could live with what he had now. It was beyond perfect. 

"Well now we can settle down and enjoy the mundane. Speaking of which, I came down here not just to make sure you were okay but to let you know that I need to go grocery shopping. So I'll be back in about half an hour."

I was young and crazy. This domestic shit shouldn't be so intriguing to me. Somehow everything seemed as exciting as attending a rock concert. "Oooh! I've never been grocery shopping before. Can I come?" 

"You've never been grocery shopping?" Brian arched an eyebrow. 

"Not with vision." I said. "I wanna see all the shelves piled high with foods I can't recognize. I mean if you're gonna be feeding me the stuff you're buying I might as well see them before they end up on my plate." 

"Well I don't see the harm in you coming with me." Brian said. 

"You can see harm? What does that look like?"

"No, I...it's an expression, Rog." He stammered. 

"I know. I'm teasing." I giggled. 

***

"Whoa! Whoa! Hang on! Why didn't anyone tell me shopping carts look like little cars? I was not prepared for this!" I squealed. The top half of the wagons resembled race cars complete with a mini steering wheel. Only it was much too small for anyone to fit in much to my dismay. Then I noticed a Mom wheeling her little kids around as they sat in the "car". All the adults were using the other boring carts unattached to any cars. "Those are for children." I realized. I really missed out on a lot in my childhood. Well soon I'd be getting my drivers license and driving a real car so I shouldn't be so down about it.

Brian stifled back laughter as he got a plain adult cart for us and wheeled it into the store. I followed him through the aisles trying to figure out what was what. A lot of it looked the same, so it was easy to get lost. There were so many shelves lined with colorful products. A few of them I recognized but most were foreign to me.

"So I was thinking of making vegan eggplant parmesan, so we'll need eggplants for that obviously. But there's other things on the list as well." Brian announced. 

"Eggplant." I repeated. I'd eaten it before, but I had no clue what the hell it looked like or where it would be located. We were in the produce area, so I knew we were dealing with fruits and veggies. 

"That's an apple, right?" I asked as Brian picked up a red circular object. "Close. This is a tomato. They look very similar. Apples are over there." He gestured to the box behind me. 

"Huh." I examined the apples, finding that not all of them were red like I thought. Some were green and yellow. "How'd you manage this before you saw color? Wouldn't they all look the same?" 

"You've gotta read the labels and signs, Roggie. Now, do you mind getting me some eggplants from that box down on the bottom shelf?" Brian rewarded me with a chaste kiss before I could say no. I guess it was only fair because I'd ask him to pick up stuff on the top shelf for me. 

"Um..." I examined the bottom shelf. Sure enough, like Brian said there were signs on each box containing the name of the product complete with a price. As I crouched down, I didn't realize someone was behind me until she tripped over my legs. 

"Shit! I'm so sorry!" I blurted. I offered my hand to help the woman, but the man stocking shelves was faster. He ran over and pulled the damsel in distress to her feet. "Are you alright, miss? Do you need me to call a doctor? How about half off on your produce?"

"Oh! No, it wasn't that bad of a fall. I don't need to--THE CARROTS ARE ORANGE!" The woman stumbled backward in shock and fell down again, but the man caught her this time. The two locked eyes with knowing smiles. Soulmates! "That's why they're called blueberries 'cause they're blue! I can't believe this! Look at all the colors!" The man exclaimed. The shoppers who witnessed the soulmates meeting applauded as the couple embraced each other and exchanged contact information. 

"That happens a lot when you're around." Brian noted. "Just shows how special you are." 

"I think it's a coincidence." I replied. I got back down and continued the search for the eggplants. It took me longer than normal to read the signs because I was going letter by letter and sounding it out, but that was okay. Brian busied himself getting other items on his list and didn't seem to mind my slowness. I loved him for his caringness (even if that wasn't a word), but his patience with my bullshit always amazed me. Not many people could put up with me. Yet, Brian was always here at my side. 

"Ahh!" At last I came across the sign that read eggplant. I didn't know why I was expecting a plant resembling an egg, but what I found was... "Ohmygod!" I couldn't contain my laughter. "This can't be right. This can't be a thing." I rolled on the floor doubled over in snickers as I held up the purple dick. 

"Roger? Roger, what's the matter?" Brian rushed over to me in a frenzy. "Are you hurt? Here. Let me help you up." 

"Brimi..." I wheezed. "I-It's the penis emoji! It's real. I-I can't believe it exists." I couldn't breathe. This was just too funny. 

"Wait...Ohh." Brian at last understood what was so damn hilarious. "No, honey. That's an eggplant emoji. Yeah Freddie uses it in the group chat a lot because it looks like a penis. That's how most people use that emoji, but it's not supposed to be used that way. Have you never seen a real eggplant before?" 

I shook my head, wiping the tears from my eyes from guffawing so hard. "Why didn't you tell me eggplants were so phallic? They're like big purple cocks." 

"Roger! We're in public!" Brian laughed, flushing as I made obscene gestures with the eggplant I was holding. "You stop that!" But he too was giggling at my immaturity. "If you think eggplants are bad, just wait until you see bananas." He winked. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there you have it, folks! The one that nobody asked for in which Roger sees an eggplant for the first time. This may not be the Valentine's Day treat you wanted, but I bestow it to you anyway. Thanks for reading!


	3. Roger Sees Things

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Do you even need a summary? It's in the title!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title is self explanatory. Short snippets of Roger seeing things for the first time. Most from Roger's POV, but a few from Brian's.
> 
> On a personal note, I think I've been reading way too many political and philosophical theories for all my classes. This semester has been more theoretical than my previous courses and I guess that's okay, but it's hard not to obsess. A lot of these philosophers have negative views on human nature and I really relate to that. The problem is I've always managed to balance these thoughts out with hope and optimism, but it's difficult to do that with everything that's been going on in the world. I don't want to slip into a general overall negativity, but it looks like I'm heading in that direction. The last time I felt this pessimistic about the human experience was when I saw the movie Joker which is not something I'd recommend for the faint of heart.
> 
> Basically, I feel completely inept in everything except writing these dumbass fanfictions. My mental health aside, I really really just wanna write to take my mind off of everything, and when I write these things I at least have somewhat of a purpose. IDK. This stupid philosophy class I'm taking has got me all fucked up in the head questioning my own existence and self worth. 
> 
> So cheers!

_"I wanna see all the things!" -Blind AU Chapter 5_

__________________________________________________________________________________

**_1\. I See a Little Silhouetto of a Man_ **

_Roger's POV_

The fear of going blind again seemed to follow me everywhere I went. I knew there were such things as mirages and figments of my imagination, so in the first few weeks it was difficult for me to differentiate what was real versus an optical illusion. One of the many things I had noticed since gaining my sight were these fleeting dark forms that seemed to encase everything. They'd come and go rotating variously and changing in size throughout the time of the day and always seemed to disappear at night when everything was encompassed in darkness. No one else regarded their existence, so I tried to cast them aside.

Yet, they scared me. These black masses would just linger on the ground or the wall taking the outline of objects around them. I couldn't touch them because when I reached for them I grasped nothing but air. I couldn't understand these entities and why they only existed before my foreign eyes and none of my other familiar senses like touch and smell.

Why weren't other people frightened by these figures? No one even acknowledged them as far as I could tell. What if I was the only one who saw them? It could be a sign of my eyes failing me. Soon these shapes could grow and overtake my world again to the point that I saw nothing else but that consuming darkness. After all I'd seen these forms stretch, so I knew they had the propensity to grow larger.

"Something's wrong." Brian observed. I shuddered as our forms cast below us on the checkered blanket enmeshed becoming one when my lover put his arm around me. I could still make out Brian's signature poodle hair.

"Nothing's wrong." I lied.

Brian knew me better. "You just let me eat the last biscuit, which I know you'd never let slide, and you've been distraught this whole time just looking down at the blanket like you're lost in your own little world. What's the matter? Why aren't you having fun?"

"I am having fun. This picnic was a great idea. I just..." How could I explain these untouchable silent objects to him? I would sound mad. Maybe I was going slightly mad. Still, I tried to tell Brian what was eating away at me. "There's these things I've noticed lately, but everyone seems to ignore them. I think I'm the only one who can see them. Um...They're these dark forms that resemble everything around them. I-I can't really figure out what they are." I reached down in another frustrated attempt to grasp at the silhouette of the two of us. If it had a feel to it, then I could identify it.

"You've been chasing shadows haven't you?" Brian chuckled. "Oh silly, Rog! You had me worried something was really bothering you with how distant you've been. They're just shadows. Most people do ignore them because they're so common you forget they exist. But I can understand how confusing they must be for someone who's never seen them before."

"Wait...These things are shadows?" I gestured to the dark spot on the blanket, the image distorted again when I moved to point it out. Of course I was aware of the concept of shadows but I never understood what they were. An image of blocked light or something like that. All light had been blocked for me previously, so there was no point in conceptualizing the idea until now. "So...I've literally been afraid of my own shadow this whole time?" I laughed at my ignorance, but it was more bitter than amusing.

"Oh baby, there's no shame in that. You didn't know they were shadows and it's very easy to fear the unknown." Brian told me with no judgement in his voice. "I wish you had asked me about it sooner. You can ask me about anything you know."

Usually I did, but in this case I wasn't sure if he would understand what I was referring to. Now I was grateful for the new knowledge. "So if what I've been told and read is correct, shadows work the same way as reflections." I waved my hand and giggled when the shadow responded the same way. It was no longer jarring because I recognized that it posed no threat.

"Watch this!" Brian put his hands together and fluttered his fingers. The shadow below us resembled a flying bird.

"Oh my God!" I gasped. I mimicked his motion creating a bird shadow of my own. "This is so cool! Does everyone know about shadows?"

"They're no secret. Really shadows are nothing more than a two dimensional reverse projection of an opaque object blocking a light source." Brian explained. "The problem is you need that light source in order to see them. So to you this is an entirely new experience since you couldn't perceive light."

"Everything is a new experience. It's hard to wrap my head around it all. The world is just full of surprises." I laughed as I gave my shadow the middle finger.

"New experiences, same old Roger." Brian remarked.   
  
  


**_2_** _._ 🐱

_Roger's POV_

Freddie couldn't stop squealing with anticipation. "Are you ready Freddie?" He asked eagerly.

"Fred, relax, this isn't that big of a milestone for me. I'm always excited to see new things but this isn't a game changer like seeing cars for the first time." I nearly drooled at the memory. Brian still had it recorded on his phone for safe keeping.

"I disagree, darling. You're going to remember your life in two distinct phases. Before you saw cats for the first time and after you saw cats for the first time."

Most people would think Freddie was referring to the musical, but in this case I'd literally be seeing a litter of cats for the very first time.

"What about not seeing and seeing period? I think that's more likely how I'll look back on my life. I really didn't start living until I opened my eyes for the first time. Everything I've been able to see since that moment is just an additional blessing and part of the miracle." I reasoned.

"Just shush and await the goodness of sweet, sweet kitties." He fumbled with the keys to Garden Lodge, his hands trembling with giddiness. Finally, he opened the door and we entered the manor. "Jim, darling, I'm home, and I brought Roger with me!" Freddie called, his voice echoing across the long hallways. He probably practiced his AY-OH's in here a lot. Great acoustics.

Freddie shrugged when Jim didn't respond. "He's probably out gardening. Oh you must see all the beautiful flowers he's planted. Come, come! Let's go to the garden!"

"What about the cats?" I asked as Freddie led me back outside. I forgot about them as well when I laid eyes upon the greenery of the garden. "Wow!" There were so many different plants to see and it was all a spectacle for my new eyes to take in. Sometimes there was just too much stimulus for me and I needed to close my eyes to readjust. This was one of those moments. I reopened them, now prepared for the spiraling leaves and display of colorful flowers encompassing me. I never knew vision could transport me to entirely different worlds like this. Familiar floral smells and soft touch of bushy grass told me exactly where I was, but I might as well be on a foreign planet altogether.

"I know! Jim shirtless is always a sight to see!" Freddie exhaled. That was when I spotted the mustached man with some sort of tool working with red and white flowers. He wiped sweat from his brow with dirty hands as Freddie swooned. Jim looked up and nodded with a small smile.

"This is Roger's first time seeing Garden Lodge!" Freddie exclaimed.

"What's that?" I pointed to the object Jim was using to dig in the dirt and plant the flowers.

"This?" Jim held up the device. "This is a shovel, Roger."

"Oh cool. I pictured them to look more like spoons." I marveled.

"Really, you're amazed over a fucking shovel?" Freddie snickered. "What about Jim's hot bod, or all the pretty flowers and the shrubbery, and—Oh my God! The cats! How could I forget about the blessed cats? That's the whole reason I brought you here!"

I was supposed to encounter cats but other creatures stole my attention. "Whoa! What is that?" I crouched down to get a better look at a circular shell that seemed to move throughout the dirt. A slimy little creature was attached to the shell and was slowly inching through the grass. What could that be? Not wanting to crush it, I gently brushed my fingertip against it, feeling the hard shell and squishy body. I frowned. "I've never felt anything like this before."

"Ahh, what a curious little bean." Freddie cooed. "Brian better be careful or I might just steal you away from him. Isn't he just adorable, Jim? I wish we could keep him. That's a garden snail, my cute darling."

"A snail." I repeated in awe. "So that's what you look like."

"Roger, look up there!" Jim directed my attention to a tree branch where a tiny fluttering bug was hovering. Well I assumed it was a bug, but I couldn't hear any buzzing as it flew around. "Blue like my eyes." I acknowledged the vibrant color of the beautiful flapping wings.

"That's a butterfly." Jim stated. "Have you seen any yet?"

I shook my head. "It's magnificent! No wonder Clare likes them so much!"

I didn't mean to start to tear up, but it was only natural. All these years I had yearned to explore everything I was missing out on in the world. Even though I had been aware of these "invisible" facets of nature like snails and butterflies, nothing could describe laying eyes upon them in comparison to the darkness.

"Okay enough is enough! You need to see my cats already!" Freddie insisted. He dragged me back inside and Jim followed leaving his gardening boots by the door.

I scanned the house in search of four legged animals. "Well where are they?"

As if to answer my question, a furry animal jumped down from atop the counter and scurried away. It was small, fluffy, and had a tail that swayed back and forth. "Um, your cat looks like a dog."

Freddie gasped. "You take that back! How dare you!"

Another "cat" poked its head around the corner and pranced by us meowing fussily. I really wasn't seeing much of a difference in comparison with my dog. They were both covered in fur and walked around on four legs. "Sorry but they resemble Ringo. They're just smaller than him. But same sort of features. Paws, tails, button noses."

"You're in trouble." Jim chuckled as Freddie crossed his arms. "My precious Delilah looks nothing like your mutt. I don't appreciate that comparison at all."

"I mean I guess their ears are tall and pointy instead of floppy." I conceded.

"Well certain dog breeds also have tall pointy ears like terriers." Jim pointed out.

"Whose side are you on?" Freddie cried.

"I like cats _and_ dogs, love. I prefer one over the other, but that doesn't mean I'm completely one sided." Jim said.

"You're lucky I love you, dear." Freddie sighed. "And Roger, darling, you're lucky that you're cute as a kitten. If Brian doesn't tell you that every day, then he and I need to have a talk."

"Cute as a badger is what he usually says." I replied as I pet one of the cats, getting him to purr.

"I suppose there can be no higher compliment coming from Brian. But there is still nothing cuter than cats and kittens at least in my opinion. Oh you must see them play. This should be fun!" Freddie flashed me one of those "I have a brilliant idea and I'm up to no good" kind of grins. Strange how quickly I could catch on to what different facial expressions meant in just a matter of days. The idea of "reading" people's faces and body languages was incomprehensible before, but now it was just a natural part of communicating. In fact I questioned how I functioned without knowing whether or not someone was smiling or frowning or whatever.

My wandering mind stopped dead in its tracks when a small red dot magically appeared on the carpet. "This drives them nuts and I love it!" Freddie announced seconds before his cats pounced on it.

Suddenly the red dot moved to the table top, and sure enough the cats jumped up and followed it there. I was mesmerized, following the flickering red dot in its trail much like the cats. When it landed by my feet I curiously reached down to touch it, but it wasn't palpable. Then all the cats piled on top of each other trying to reach it as well.

"You can't do this with dogs. They just stare at you like dopes. Cats are so much more inquisitive." Freddie purred, clicking the pen in his hand. Wait a minute...

"Your pen makes the dot?" I took it from him, and clicked it watching the red dot appear and disappear, still never managing to touch it. The cats mewled anxiously as I played around with the device trying to figure it out.

"Awwww, he's just like a cat. Isn't that so adorable! Look at him, Jim, trying to figure out the secret of the red laser pen." Freddie cooed. "Such a sweet little kitten."

"It's a colored light." Jim explained. "Like a flashlight...or more like a laser beam I suppose."

"Light." I murmured, a concept I was becoming more familiar with each day. These things you can only see but can't touch were confusing, but I was learning.

"Alright, Roger, you might wanna stop clicking it because you're getting the cats a little too riled up. They're going wild!" Freddie took the pen back from me. "It's not a toy you know."

"Actually it is." Jim pointed out. "At least in the mind of the cats."  
  
  


**3.** **_AAAAAHH!!_ **

_Brian's POV_

"Roger, hurry up! I will never forgive myself if I let you miss the sunset on your very first night with vision." I was far from impatient considering the circumstances, but standing in front of the door to the chapel was not how I intended on spending the afternoon with my soulmate. Roger ignored me and continued to open and close the door, his new eyes lighting up each time like it was a novelty. What must be going through that pretty little head of his when everything was brand new.

"Believe me, you'll be seeing plenty of more doors open and close over the course of your life, but sunsets are much more special." I insisted.

With a small frown, Roger turned away from the door. "Bri? Y-You changed." He stumbled toward me, nearly tripping over his own feet. "Oh wait never mind. You're the same. I-Is that a thing? When you get closer to something it gets bigger and when you get further away it gets smaller?"

"You have no depth perception." I realized. Could that sort of thing be taught? I was no expert but I could try to help. "The object doesn't change, its the distance that changes." I attempted to explain.

Roger giggled as he held up his hand and moved it further and closer to his face observing it "change". "Vision is so...crazy." He sighed and then blinked those big blue eyes up at me, studying my features. "You're beautiful." The compliment came out of nowhere. How lucky was I to have this angel telling me that I was good looking. "You haven't seen yourself yet." I replied.

"That has nothing to do with the way you look." He stood on his tiptoes and gave me a soft kiss on the lips.

"Yeah, but you're..." I stopped myself. Best not to question it. Roger was attracted to me and I was forever grateful. "I love you, sweetheart." I said instead and returned the kiss.

"Soulmates." Roger exhaled. "I can't believe it! You're perfect, Brimi! And I can see you! You're not just a gentle voice that I fell for, you have a face and a body...with legs and hair! So much legs and hair! I absolutely love it!" He kissed me repeatedly, tears of joy running down his cheeks. I never wanted to wake from the tremendous dream.

As much as it pained me though, I eventually pulled away. "Sunset." I repeated. We couldn't get distracted.

"You and your bloody sunsets. I'm sure we'll get to see it in time if not there's always tomorrow night. In the meantime, there's so much more to see. I can't believe it!" Roger twirled around his eyes scanning everything until he lost his balance and tumbled again. I caught him before he could hit the ground. "Very overwhelming." He murmured.

"Well you're in good hands." I reassured him and planted another sweet kiss on his lips. "Come on. Let's get to the room."

"Wait." Roger stood up straight and shifted uncomfortably. "I um...this is embarrassing. I have to pee and um...well, does vision make a difference in that?"

"In what? Using the toilets?" I laughed. "I dunno, love. I never really thought about it. I'm sure you've never thought about it while doing it blindly."

"Well...what if I don't like what I see down there?" Roger made a gesture to his groin. "I'm kinda scared to look. I'm so familiar with it, but now it'll be foreign to me just like everything else."

I suddenly felt guilty for holding rather dirty thoughts and ambitions for tonight and honestly every night I spent with Roger. Now he just seemed so innocent. I didn't want to take advantage in any way.

"Well you're going to have to see your own penis eventually." I reasoned.

"Yeah I guess I am...Better to see it now than when we're in the bedroom so I'm not as shocked. I think my reaction to seeing it would ruin the mood. Funny, I think I'm more excited to see yours than my own." Roger rambled.

Holy shit! Of all the things in the world, Roger was looking forward to that! I felt sinfully proud.

"Brian, your face is a new color...that's reddish pink, right? Your face is reddish pink. How'd you do that? I think it's cute. Keep it that color, baby." Roger observed my blush.

"I'm blushing, honey. Listen, Roger, I know there's probably a lot going through your mind right now, and things can seem rather frightening, so if you want to take a few days to get used to the sight of your own body before rushing into a more physical relationship with me I'd understand." I stammered. This was the right thing to do. The gentlemen thing to do. I couldn't possibly force Roger into any uncomfortable situations. That was the last thing I wanted to ever do.

"If I were blind I'd still be dying to make love with you. I can say with certainty that sight doesn't change that. In fact, it makes me want it even more." Roger assured me. "Are you okay with that? Or are we moving too fast? After all, we kinda just met. I know we've been talking on the phone for months and months, but this is our first time meeting to face to face, but we're soulmates like I dreamed we would be, so I don't feel like you're a stranger at all. I'm madly in love with you already. I really want this, but I don't want to make you do anything you wouldn't want to do."

Of course I would give into my desires if Roger was eager as well. It seemed he was. I nodded. "We're on the same page then."

"What did you just do? With your head? You've done it at least one other time. You went up and down like this." He mimicked my nod. "Does that mean something?"

Roger was a bright boy. Already picking up on gestures and body language. Very impressive! "This is a nod. It means yes. Shaking your head like this means no." I explained.

"So much to learn." Roger sighed. "But first I need to pee."

I led him to the bathroom, pointing out various everyday things along the way that blew Roger's mind. I waited for him outside not wanting to be intrusive at all.

"AAAAHH!"

Okay, I should go in and check on him. I hesitantly poked my head inside. Roger was standing at the urinal staring down at his package. "Good scream or bad scream?" I asked. Just by looking at it, I would say good scream. We'd definitely be having fun tonight...

Roger gasped as we locked eyes. "Surprised scream." He clarified. "It's....um....I don't know. It's just sort of there and not really what I pictured. Kinda funny looking. What do you think?"

"I'm very satisfied." I replied.

"Then I am too." Roger grinned. "Now give me privacy please. I love you, but this is gross."

"Sorry."

Boundaries.   
  
  


**_4\. Don't Lose Your Head_ **

_AN:_ _Behold! The closest thing to smut I will ever write!_  
  


_Brian's POV_

I let go shortly after Roger, too far gone to care about anything else but the pleasure. It wasn't until I returned from ecstasy that I realized my partner was sobbing. Shit! No! Why did I let Roger talk me into having sex so quickly? Clearly, he wasn't ready. Oh God!

"Baby, did I hurt you? I'm so, so sorry!"

"N-No, it's not that..." Roger sniffled. "I..um...I've just never seen..." He bit down on his trembling lips, more tears slipping from his new eyes. "I mean...the best part of sex for me has always been seeing stars because those were the only things I could ever see, but now...now it's different...I-I...There was so much to see! And no, I don't think it's just seeing in general. It's you specifically. You take my breath away!"

It had certainly been emotional day, but sharing this vulnerable moment in bed with Roger was definitely the climax (pun intended).

"I've never seen anyone orgasm before, but I swear I will have that image ingrained in my mind forever and ever. It was my favorite thing I saw today by far." Roger went on. "Fuck, I'm a mess because of you. Bloody well moved me to tears. Has sex always been this good or is it just a vision thing?"

"It's a soulmate thing." I decided. "Will you lose your mind if we do it again because I might lose my mind if we don't."

"I'm already far, far gone." Roger sighed, clinging to me desperately. "I need you. Bring me home, Brimi. Please." I nearly just lost it having him beg like that. The night was still young...  
  
  


 ** _5._** 😉

_Roger's POV_

I lay back, studying the pattern of our synchronized breaths as our chests rise and fall coming down from the high. "I think that's enough for one night. We should wash up and go to bed." Brian sat up slowly, still catching his breath. "Blimey, we've left quite a mess behind for house keeping." He removed the sullied sheets. 

"Worth it." I sighed. 

"Well I suppose we can make up for it by conserving water in a shared shower." Brian said. His eye twitched.

"Are you okay? Your eye did a thing." I noticed. 

"What? I...Oh. This is a wink." He closed one eye and kept the other one open. "It means I'm implying something or being playful."

Who knew you could say so much without having to utter a single word? "Can you smile again, please. I just wanna see it." I requested. 

"Of course." Brian's lips curved upwards. I sat, staring up at the grin mesmerized. Then he winked again and walked away to the shower. Looks like I had no choice but to be at his beck and call. "Get me a towel." I called as I scrambled out of the bed and followed him. "By the way, what do towels look like? And what do showers look like?"

**_6\. The Jimi Hendrix Experience_ **

_Roger's POV_

I finally unpacked the last box. That was it. I was officially moved in with my boyfriend! I wandered into our (still not used to that) room to see how Brian was doing organizing everything. I found him setting up his telescope by the window.

I did a double take when I spotted a different guitarist in the mirror on the wall. Our reflections were absent but an unfamiliar man was standing holding a guitar with an intense focused look on his face. The guy appeared to be a badass rockstar but I screamed nonetheless out of shock.

Brian wasn't phased at this point. He continued adjusting the telescope like I hadn't made a sound. "What do you see, honey? Anything interesting?" He asked haphazardly with his back turned to me and the mysterious mirror.

"The mirror is broken. It's not showing us. It's showing...this person with a guitar." I attempted to explain.

"What are you—" Brian turned around to see for himself. "Oh, Roger! That's a poster not a mirror. The mirror is on this wall on the other side. See, there we are!"

I was relieved to see our reflection intact. I waved to myself. Then I turned back to the poster on the opposite wall. "Who is that?" Stupidly I put my hand to his face as if it wasn't thick paper beneath my fingertips.

"That's our hero the legendary Jimi Hendrix." Brian announced. "I thought I showed you his picture already."

I gasped. "No. I would have remembered what he looks like. Wow!" Until I got my vision back I only had abstract ideas of what my favorite artists looked like. For me it was more about their sounds than anything else. So putting a face to a name was surreal like it had been when Brian showed me all the different looks and styles the Beatles had collectively and individually over the years. To me, a certain name would only evoke music and no image would come to mind.

"I'm surprised you haven't seen Jimi Hendrix yet. Shame on me for not showing you an image of him sooner." Brian remarked.

"It shouldn't be your job to keep track of my bucket list. I'll experience things as they're presented. You can't cover everything. Then you'll take the fun out of me coming across something unexpected. By the way do you think you can find any footage of Jimi Hendrix performing or is it all audio?"

"I don't care what you say. I'm a bad boyfriend for letting this slide. Let me show you the wonders of YouTube and make up for it. I'll give you the full Jimi Hendrix Experience, sight included." Brian got his laptop and gestured for me to cuddle with him as he searched. There was no better way to spend the afternoon in our new home together.

**7\. Jig-Saw**

_Roger's POV_

"You're working today?" I pouted. "But it's Saturday. What am I supposed to do while you're gone?"

"Sorry, honey, but I need to go lobby for this new bill to protect the badgers and finally put an end to the draconian cull. I should be back in a few hours. You'll be alright." Brian gave me a quick kiss, and then he was gone leaving me all alone waiting for his return.

I took Ringo for a lonely walk through the park, and then I decided to visit John. Deaky probably wasn't working. He could keep me company while Brian was away. 

"Hopefully he didn't change the locks when I moved out." I murmured as I used my old key to his flat where he now lived with Veronica. 

"Ronnie?" Deaky called from the living room. "I thought you'd be gone longer, dear. Seems like you just left."

"Nah, Deaks, it's me." I shut the door behind me and locked it. "Brian's out doing badger stuff so I decided to stop by."

"Oh good. Ronnie went out to lunch and go pregnancy clothes shopping with Mary. I'm glad you came over, Rog. It's been a while since we've just hung out." John sat at the table quietly sipping tea. 

A mess of tiny irregular shaped objects were sprawled out on the table. "Oooh. What are those?" I picked one up and felt it, instantly recognizing what it was. "You're doing a jig saw, aren't you?" I loved jig saw puzzles. It was the one game that I could participate in while blind without needing a separate Braille version. All I had to do was feel which pieces fit together until it was complete. 

"Yeah I am. Wanna help? This is a big one. 3900 pieces. Might take me all afternoon." Deaky said. 

"Well then let's get started!" I sat down next to him and began to feel the pieces. Again sight was an aid in this activity. I could easily see which pieces fit and which didn't without having to explore each one with my hands and deduce it from there. At first I didn't pay attention to the abstract art painted atop the pieces, but as we slowly completed the puzzle, I realized they were forming a picture. "So it makes a coherent image when we're done? Why didn't anyone tell me that?" 

"I thought that was common knowledge." Deaky replied. He held up the box which displayed a picture of a neat piece of architecture overlooking a sunset. "What kind of building is that? It looks like abstract art." I marveled. 

"That's the Eiffel Tower, Roger. When you do finally get married and you do it in France like Freddie suggested, you can see it in real life." He explained. "When we're done with this puzzle, the completed picture will look like the one on the box."

"Wow! I'd love to see that in real life." I exclaimed. "There's so many things to see." It would be my dream to some day travel the world and explore all the different sights. For now though, just seeing a completed jig saw would be enough. 

**_8._** 👀

_Brian's POV_

I adored Roger, and he was without a doubt the love of my life. Still I walked a fine line between lover and caregiver in our relationship. Naturally Roger depended on me for a lot because he had spent 22 years in the dark. I tried my best not to smother him and let him do things on his own. I was proud of Roger's progress and independence even if he beat himself up over his inabilities at times.

Then there were times when he was undeniably childlike. Like today for example. I returned home from work and found Rog standing in front of the mirror with his eyes closed. "Bri? Is that you?" He asked as I walked in. 

"Yeah, I'm here." I responded. "What are you doing?" 

"I'm trying to see what I look like with my eyes closed. Doesn't seem to be working. Can't see a thing." Roger squished his eyes shut even harder as if that would help. "Is there another way sighted people do this? How do you see your eyes shut?" 

I didn't know whether to laugh or hug him. Poor thing was so determined. Who knew how long he had been standing here. If I told him it was impossible, I'd crush his spirits. Besides, after meeting Roger I was slowly becoming convinced of the impossibility of impossibility. Anything and everything could be possible if you saw thing in a different light. So I was able to figure out a solution. 

"Stay there and keep your eyes shut." I instructed. I took out my phone and snapped a picture of Roger just like that. "Okay, open your eyes. I have something to show you." 

"What are you up to?" Roger blinked open his eyes. He took the phone from me and examined the picture. "Huh. You know I think I look better with my eyes open." 


	4. In the Lap of the Gods

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roger wants to cuddle, even at inconvenient times

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think we could all use something soft and fluffy in light of everything that's going on with COVID19. Who's ready for some Maylor cuddles? Absolutely no angst, but not much substance either! Here's 5 + 1 times Roger wanted cuddles from his boyfriend set in the Blind AU verse.

**1.** 🏃

_Brian's POV_

I still couldn't get over the love of my life. I always had this gut feeling Roger was the one from that very first phone call. Now it was simply surreal. Meeting him in person and observing this spectacular miracle made my love blossom even more.

I couldn't wait to share this unbelievable news with everyone and witness Roger seeing all of his friends for the very first time. Of course I was eager for Roger to interact as much as possible with his restored sense of sight, but a selfish part of me was glad that I was the very first human being he laid eyes upon. It made me feel special, like I had a unique place in his heart that no one else could share. Except maybe Ringo the dog who Roger technically saw first.

"What is it?" I asked when I caught a pair of blue eyes staring at me.

"Nothing." Roger quickly looked away with an embarrassed blush. "Don't mind me. I'm just still getting used to this whole seeing thing. So if you catch me staring it doesn't mean anything."

"Stare all you'd like." I prompted. "Are we ready to go downstairs for breakfast?"

I couldn't quite read the mixed emotion on Roger's face. It was either excited or worried or both. He reached for my hand and suddenly I found him not only holding it but latched onto me. In our short time together he developed this tendency to cling to me and I didn't mind it in the slightest. In fact I welcomed it. "I get the feeling you enjoy being cuddled. I can help with that." I said enveloping my arms around him.

"You make me feel safe, Brimi. I love you." Roger murmured.

I felt so honored. "I love you too, sweetheart. You should only feel safe with me."

Our cuddle was eventually cut short by Roger's grumbling tummy. That meant we needed breakfast.

I guided Roger down the hall to the elevators, but not to be unexpected something else caught his fleeting attention. For a split second I turned my back on him assuming he was right behind me as I pushed the button for the elevator. Then I heard Roger's signature scream from a few feet back.

"Roggie?" I rushed to see what was wrong.

Nothing seemed out of place. Roger stood in front of the stairwell but his eyes were cast downward in wonder. "Brian, the ground is sinking!" He pointed to the steps leading down. "Look at that spiral. Is that quicksand?"

"It's a staircase, silly." I laughed. "Nothing that can harm you."

"Those are stairs?" He gave the staircase a curious look. "Huh. Are they any easier to do with sight?"

"I'd imagine." I replied. "But I'd much rather take the elevator than go down four flights."

"Lift." Roger corrected. "I told you, I'm not dating an American. It's not a fucking elevator. It's a bloody lift!" He took a shaky step down the first step and then another one before looking back up at me. "You change. I can't explain it. You look...different from different places."

"Depth perception." I said. "You'll get used to it, love."

"Makes me dizzy." He murmured, looking down in concentration taking each step slowly. I guess we were going to take the stairs after all. "I'm right behind you, babe." I called. By the time we got to the second flight, Roger grew more confident and no longer took each step so calculatedly. "This isn't bad at all." He exclaimed, picking up his speed.

"Careful, Rog!" I cried, attempting to intercept as Roger ran the entire last flight. I was proud of his progress, but that didn't warrant recklessness. "Please don't hurt yourself." I warned. I managed to reach the bottom of the stairwell before Roger. He was on his second to last step, grinning like a mad man. "Catch!" He shouted out of nowhere, taking a literal leap of faith.

"What the hell, Roger?" I scolded as he landed in my arms. "You're not a human football. You can't just jump from a stairwell and expect someone to catch you."

"No, of course not." Roger replied with a mischievous giggle. "I don't expect you to just catch me. I expect you to catch and cuddle me."

Why was he so cute? I was more concerned than angry. After all, if I wasn't here or hadn't caught him in time, he could've gotten seriously injured. Somehow Roger got what he wanted because the thought of my precious baby splattering at the bottom of the stairs made me want to hold him tighter and cuddle him. "You're lucky you're so adorable. Otherwise you wouldn't be able to get away with these antics."   
  
  
  


**2.** 🐱

_Roger's POV_

Married life changed Freddie. His first party as a married man was naturally lavish, but completely toned down. Just a quiet, elegant dinner party with a few close friends and family. Nothing wrong with that, but it wasn't nearly as wild as what was to be expected. Perhaps it was a sign that Jim had tamed Freddie's inner party animal.

"After this we're going to the club and that's when the REAL party begins!" Freddie proclaimed, elbowing Jim with a snicker allowing his hand to then linger down to his husband's ass. Okay, I was wrong. Freddie still partied hard.

"So what's the point of all this?" Brian asked, setting down his win glass. "You never struck me as a dinner and charades kind of guy, Fred."

"I love dinner and charades." Deaky blurted.

"I'm just taking Mary's advice. What kind of housewife would I be if I didn't know how to throw a stuffy dinner party?" Freddie remarked.

Mary frowned. "I never said that. I just said that Martha Stewart suggests a proper married woman should have the tools at her--or his--disposal to throw a proper dinner party for friends and family."

"That's kind of sexist." Ronnie stated.

"Hey! No fighting at my dinner party. We're here to have fun, darlings...Lame fun, but fun nonetheless. Now let's start the charades while Joe finishes up with dessert. Jim, my love, why don't you go first?"

"Aye." Jim took the slip of paper and began to act out what was written on it with a variety of movements.

"Car!" I blurted.

"Disco!" Deaky exclaimed.

"Outer space!" Brian guessed.

"Oh! Oh!" Freddie cried. "I know this! I know this. It's on the tip of my tongue. Um... It starts with a C..."

"Cat?" Mary attempted.

"Car!" I tried again.

"Cheese!" Deaky shouted.

"Clogs?" Brian asked.

"CUTE CAT!" Freddie screamed.

"I said cat already." Mary pointed out.

"No, I was talking to Delilah." Freddie gestured to the cat who had jumped onto his lap to cuddle. "Who's a good kitty?"

The timer went off. Jim sighed. "Jaws. It was Jaws. Why couldn't you get that?"

"Jaws was never my scene." Freddie said as he petted Delilah. "Ohh. Listen to you purr. Yes, yes, I love you too. I love you so, so much."

"Freddie, why don't you take your turn?" Jim offered.

"Oh don't be ridiculous, darling. When Delilah wants to cuddle, then all bets are off. I'm at her beck and call. You simply cannot defy a sweet kitty. She's holding me hostage. Not even the cutest of humans can hold this kind of power." He rambled.

Challenge accepted. This evening just got a lot more interesting. Perhaps I had too much wine, but I was willing to have some fun. "Would you bet money on that, Mercury?"

"Bet money on what, dear?" Freddie asked.

"That a cuddly human can be just as impactful as a cuddly cat." I smirked.

"I can see where you're going with this. You're very cute, darling, but cats can defy the laws of gravity. So I'm willing to bet my favorite pair of platform shoes that your cuddling skills aren't as great as that of a cat." Freddie wagered.

"Game on!" I declared and crawled onto Brian's lap.

"Um...." Brian just shook his head as I curled myself up into a little ball like a kitten would. "I'm not sure what you're trying to prove here, Roger." I looked up at him and batted my eyelashes, and I knew I was making him feel powerless.

"You know what I'm gonna take my turn." Mary announced standing up. She began her round of charades and it didn't seem to be going well.

"Badger!" Brian cried.

"Flower!" Jim guessed.

"Car?" I asked.

"Toast." Deaky said.

"Umm....cat?" Freddie tried.

The timer went out. "It was Star Wars! Goodness. I thought at least one of you would get that right." Mary pouted.

"I don't like Star Wars." Freddie sighed. Then he smirked. "Brian, how about you take your turn now?"

Brian looked down at me. "Uhh...Maybe later. I have a cute Roggie to cuddle. That takes precedent."

"I'll give it a shot." Deaky decided. Maybe John would do better than the others. So far charades was kicking our asses. I cooed softly as Brian ran his hand up and down my back in a soothing motion. "Aww. You're so adorable." He said under his breath.

Deaky began to act out what was on his card and the guessing game commenced.

"Car!"

"Creampuff!"

"Hedgehog!"

"Potato!"

Finally, the timer stopped. Deaky shook his head sadly. "Galileo." He announced. "Brian, you should've gotten that."

"Galileo?" Brian echoed.

"GALILEO!" I screamed because it was a fun word to say.

"No more wine for you, Roggie." Brian scooted the glass away from my reach. I pouted. I shifted my position so that I was now on my back with my tummy facing upward. "Who even is Galileo?" I asked, repositioning my arm so it was around Brian's shoulder.

"Galileo invented the...My God! You're so fucking cute. I'm sorry. Can't really focus on anything else." Brian gently pushed me upwards so that our lips could touch.

"Galileo?" Freddie prompted.

"W-What?" Brian asked dazed.

"You were telling us about Galileo, but then you got distracted." He pointed out.

"Yeah..." Brian looked down at me, losing his train of thought again.

"Well I stand corrected, Roger. You clearly do have the same impact as a cat. Brian doesn't forget about Galileo for just anything you know. I hope you use your cuddle powers for good and not evil." Freddie advised.   
  
  


**3.** 🎸

 _Brian's POV_  
  
Sally J, the baby badger I had rescued and unofficially adopted tilted her head up at me as I strummed my guitar. "You like music, don't you?" I cooed going into a particularly lengthy riff that Deaky would likely complain about. Thankfully, it was just the two of us because Roger was at a photoshoot, so I was free to extend my solos for as long as I wanted. Best of all I could do it with a badger nestled by my feet. What could be better?

The front door suddenly opened. "Brimi, I'm home!" Roger rushed over to where I was seated playing guitar. Without a care in the world, he flung himself onto my lap making me pause. "No, no keep going." Roger prompted. "Don't mind me. I just want a cuddle." 

"Don't you always." I laughed and went on with the song. I guess things could be better after all...  
  
  
  


 **4.** 🐨

_Roger's POV_

Brian was conducting research on some space vacuum thing that I didn't at all understand. He'd have a new book out about it soon, so I would just have to read it when he was finished and figure it out for myself. Anything Brian tried to explain to me otherwise went over my head. The good thing was that we were given a free trip to Australia to study the sight of a supernova. While most of our time there was spent with Brian messing around with a telescope, we did get to visit a koala farm. Brian would be donating 10% of all book sales to wildlife charities helping the poor animals affected by the devastating fires. 

As Brian cuddled with an adorable koala bear, the creature seemed far more interested in nipping at the branches and leaves behind them. "A little snack." Brian smiled as he petted the koala.

"I think there's more than one snack here." I observed. 

Brian put down the koala he was holding, presumably to pick up another one so each would get maximum cuddle time. Only he was wrong. I placed myself in his lap before he could move onto the next koala. "Roger, you're not a koala." He frowned. 

"I know. That's why I deserve special treatment." I insisted. 

"Roger Taylor, are you jealous that I'm cuddling with these furry friends instead of you?" Brian meant it as a joke, but he underestimated how seriously I took my cuddle time with him.

"Yes!" I answered honestly.

"There aren't enough cuddles to go around, are there?" He sighed giving in to the temptation and wrapping his arms around me. 

**5.** 🤓

_Brian's POV_

I sat at my desk, clacking away at my keyboard trying to get all of my research compiled before the deadline. I was so engrossed in my work that I hardly noticed the door open. "Bri?" There stood Roger at the threshold squinting at the glare coming from my computer screen. "It's almost 3 in the morning. You should come to bed."

"I have a deadline, baby. I'm sorry. I think I'll be in better shape after I finish up this section on the event horizon. Since it's all very theoretical I'm having some trouble describing it even based on the research we do have." 

"Sounds...tiring." Roger yawned. He crawled up onto my lap. I didn't say anything and just continued to work. Roger never really needed and excuse to cuddle. Having the sleeping beauty on my lap did help to calm me a bit as I focused less on the deadline and more on getting it done. Roger's eyes fluttered open and shut as he struggled to stay awake. "What...is...the horizon event?" Another yawn escaped his pretty pink lips. 

"The event horizon is the region of space around a black hole where nothing, not even light can escape." I explained. 

"T-That sounds familiar...." I wasn't sure what Roger meant by that, but I continued to write, soothed by his soft snore signaling a descent into hopefully sweet dreams. I knew my talks on space could put people to sleep, so I didn't take offense. Although Roger would likely be able to grasp the theoretical concept of space vacuums and black holes more than anyone else. Living without light was unimaginable to most, but not to my brave soulmate. Hmm. That gave me an idea... 

**+1** 😭

_Roger's POV_

"I'm so, so proud of you, baby!" I proclaimed with a genuine grin from ear to ear. It was my first time catching Brian since the publishing party began, he had been so busy shaking and hands and being whisked away by various intellectuals wanting to have a lengthy discussion about the cosmos. I didn't feel left out though. It was Brian's moment to take in as he authored the book. I would just look like a dolt by comparison if the spotlight were shifted to me. Besides, watching Brian interact gave me a chance to admire him in his suit. ' _I sure hope he looks just as a dapper on our wedding day.'_ I thought to myself. 

"Thank you, Roggie. I'm so sorry that I haven't been able to--"

"Dr. May, may we have a word please?" Another man interjected with a posh accent that lacked the warmth of Freddie's. He had a weird set of glasses that only covered one eye. "Your research is so fascinating, and I have several questions for you." 

"Of course, Dr. Pikachu, it's an honor to have a discussion with a great mind like you." Brian replied. 

"Dr. Pikachu?" I snickered. "Is that your real name?" 

"Roger, be respectful, please, his work on planetary gravitation is groundbreaking." Brian insisted.

"Of course he has my utmost respect. I'd give nothing less to my favorite Pokemon." I said. 

"What the bloody hell is a Pokemon?" Dr. Pikachu reached to shake my hand. "Forgive me for asking, but who are you again and what's your field of study?"

"Dr. Pikachu, this is my fiancé, Roger Taylor." Brian introduced.

"Oh my! Roger Taylor, you are the talk of the town I must say my dear boy. It's such a pleasure to finally meet you. Dr. May is very lucky to have such an inspirational figure in his life. We all have much to learn from you." Dr. Pikachu's snobbish tone completely changed to that admiration. 

I had no clue what he was talking about or how he knew me but I just nodded. "Thank you. By the way half of your glasses are missing."

He chuckled. "This is a monocle. It only covers one eye. Come, Mr. Taylor, if you don't mind. My colleagues are very eager to meet you." 

"They do?" I turned to Brian. "Why would they be interested in me when Brian's the guest of honor?" 

"You haven't read the acknowledgements yet, have you?" Brian surmised. 

Truth be told I hadn't read any of Brian's book, but I wasn't going to admit that out loud. "I glanced over them." I lied. 

"Well look closer." Brian handed me a copy. 

I skimmed through the list of people who Brian thanked in making this book and his research possible. Then I got to the final page of the acknowledgements section. 

_...Lastly I want to thank my soulmate, Roger Meddows Taylor. Man has yet to experience black holes for himself, but Roger spent much of his life in a vacuum, growing up completely blind. Since we've met, he's become my light, and I'm gladly devoting much of my life to helping him rebuild his with newfound sight. So this is for you, my brave angel. In addition to 10% of all profits from each book sale going toward the wildfire relief for the animals, I'll be donating an additional 10% to the academy for the blind that Roger attended..._

"Wow!" I was left speechless. I contributed nothing to this work, yet Brian personally addressed me in a heartfelt dedication. And it figures that I didn't even bother to read it. "You think very highly of me." I choked. "You didn't have to include me in your dedication like this."

"Of course I think highly of you, Roger. Look at how much you've accomplished in this past year since getting your sight back. You've had to relearn everything from scratch, but you've succeeded every step of the way. If you could do all that, then surely I could find the motivation to reach the publishing deadline on time." 

"Dr. May is right." Dr. Pikachu intervened. "It is one thing to conduct research and spend tireless hours reading thousands of pages, but what you've endured is truly heroic and something you should take pride in. Not many people share your experience, Mr. Taylor, and from what I've heard from Dr. May, you haven't been wasting a single day of the glorious gift of sight."

"The other day I wasted several hours playing one of your games on Nintendo." I stated. "You're giving me too much credit."

Dr. Pikachu frowned. "I believe you are mistaken, Mr. Taylor, I'm an astronomer, not a video game developer."

"You should consider changing your name." I said. "Otherwise people might get confused."

"Roger, that's enough." Brian said. "Excuse us for a moment." With that he took my hand and guided me outside the conference room. 

Out in the hallway where no one was around, Brian scooped me up into his arms and gave me a kiss. I was expecting a reprimand, but I would gladly accept this reward instead. "I think you deserve a cuddle." He said. Well I was always up for that. If Brian didn't seem upset about missing his party for a few minutes, then I'd happily oblige. 

"I love you, Roger. You deserve all the cuddles in the world. Even if you do embarrass me in front of my colleagues, you are still the greatest treasure in my life. I don't think anything will change that."

I never felt so madly in love with this man Driven to tears I just nodded so overwhelmed with gratitude. Finally I composed myself. "What if I leave you for a car?" I joked. 

"You wouldn't do that to me, would you?" Brian laughed. 

"Cars don't cuddle as good." I replied. "Seriously, I love you, Brian. Thank you. I'm glad you're always here for me."

"Thank _you_ , honey. I love having someone to cuddle with, especially someone as cute and warm as you." He said. 

Screw Dr. Pikachu and the others, our party was right here wrapped in each others' arms. "Rog?" Brian broke up the kiss. "Hmmm..." I responded, still clinging to him. "Have you ever ditched a party thrown in your honor? To be honest, I'd much rather be home snuggling with you."

"Say no more. Let's make the speed of light outta this place."


	5. 🤰

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Baby Robert is on the way!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shoutout to Ra_chelB for giving me this idea! You're going to be seeing a lot more one-shots from me because I have a writers' block for pretty much all of my main stories. I'm thinking of starting a collection of "Smol Bean Queen" one-shots with a similar theme to Incredible Shrinking Deaky and My Fairy King because for some reason I enjoy the incredible shrinking trope and it's just so cute to imagine the baby bois as literal smol beans you can hold in your hand. LOL. I'm weird. I put the Ant Man series up there with Thor Ragnarok and Infinity War as my favorites in the MCU. Anyway, here's some more Blind AU per request. This one has a tiny bit of angst but fluff to balance it out. Any more suggestions feel free to let me know!

Veronica didn't expect to find so much joy during pregnancy. Yeah, it was super uncomfortable, and she felt sick and threw up a lot, but having a baby growing inside her made her smile grow bigger along with her belly each and every day.

It also helped that her friends and loved ones were being so supportive and overly friendly to the point that she needn't raise a finger around the house. She had to admit being pampered and spoiled felt good. Of course Deaky was the perfect husband, always commenting on how radiant she looked, feeding her lots of cheese on toast, and massaging her swollen feet and ankles.

What was surprising was how much John's family became invested in the baby and pregnancy process. Freddie was over all the time to make sure Ronnie and "baby creampuff jr" were doing all right. He'd bring flowers and chocolates and provide lots of music and laughter. Freddie was an overprotective big brother to John, but he was a real darling to Ronnie as well, an absolute delight to have around. Then there was Brian who would come over frequently and play his guitar and read for the baby citing studies that this was good for brain development. He also built a mobile that resembled the solar system to hang in the baby's crib which was such a lovely gesture.

Perhaps the most shocking reaction was from Roger, who was the first to find out about Ronnie's pregnancy. Ronnie was prepared for unwanted touching of her baby bump, but for the most part everyone asked permission first. She anticipated Roger in particular to be curious, and she knew he had a tendency to explore things with his fingers before his eyes. It was only natural and she wouldn't blame him. Ronnie and Deaky planned on having many more children (God willing) in the future, so Ronnie was counting on Roger's curiosity to get her used to having little ones around with lots of questions when the next baby was on the way. Only Roger treated her normally. Yes, there was a lot of staring at her swollen belly, but other than that, he didn't modify his behavior around her. From time to time Roger would ask how she was feeling or if she needed anything, but aside from being polite, Roger's attitude toward Ronnie didn't change at all. There was no mention of "seeing this for the first time". Ronnie found that odd as he usually announced whenever he was experiencing a new thing.

One day when Deaky was away at work and Ronnie was home alone, she received a visitor. A young girl with a kind smile and bright blue eyes. She looked a lot like Roger. "Hi. You're Veronica, right?"

"Yes." Ronnie was taken off guard. "My friends call me Ronnie."

"Hi. I'm Clare. Roger's sister. I'm sorry to just barge in on you like this." She said.

"Ohh." Ronnie nodded in recognition. "Roger talks about you a lot. Come in. Would you like some tea?"

"No, no. Don't be ridiculous. You shouldn't be up on your feet like this. Go sit down." Clare joined her in the living room and unveiled a beautiful black maternity dress with a floral pattern.

"Oh my! I've never seen pregnancy clothes this fashionable." Ronnie gushed. "All the stuff Freddie picks out for me looks good but is way too uncomfortable. Where did you get it? Did you have to go to a special maternity store?"

"I don't know." Clare replied with a giggle. "You'll have to ask Roger. He got this for me for my birthday. Obviously, he didn't realize the problem. I guess the sign marking the maternity section wasn't in Braille, or Roger hadn't noticed it. But he meant well and went out of his way to get me a birthday gift he'd thought I'd like, so I never told him he made a mistake. I never got round to returning it, but it all worked out because now I can give it to you. Since Roger's never seen it before, he'll have no idea. It'll be our little secret."

"Well thank you, Clare. Who knew a blind man could have such good taste. I really appreciate this. It's very kind of you. It looks like the perfect fit too." Ronnie marveled.

"Oh it's no problem at all. I'm just happy that Roger has such nice friends. He had some friends here and there growing up, but for the most part it was just the two of us." She said.

"So you two are close?" Ronnie asked.

"Not as close now that's he moved out, but Roger still makes time for me. He's been so busy now that he's gotten his sight back, but I'm so proud of him. I don't think I've ever seen him this happy, and that just warms my heart." Clare explained. "Hopefully, he hasn't been giving you too much trouble staring at your tummy and wanting to touch it."

Ronnie shook her head. "He hasn't been treating me any differently. In fact I don't think he's asked to touch my stomach at all which is surprising know how he is."

"That is surprising." Clare agreed. "Maybe he's just being polite. But I'd expect him to be more curious especially when it comes to discovering new things." 

"I wonder why that is." She mused.

"Well it could be because of me. Roggie's probably old enough to remember when Mom was pregnant with me. So maybe this isn't that new to him even if he's never seen it before." Clare theorized.

"That doesn't make any sense." Ronnie murmured. She was no doubt overthinking this. Roger was being respectful and that was all that mattered. "We shouldn't worry about it. Thanks again for the dress, Clare. It was such a pleasure to meet you."

***

_Roger's POV_

_"Mommy?" I wandered out of my room, careful not to trip over the stairwell. "Mommy, why are you crying?"_

" _Oh, Clem, I don't think I can handle that." I heard her voice fighting through the sniffles._

_"Is Clem-Clem here?" I questioned. She was speaking to him. I walked toward the sound._

_"Y-Yeah I've gotta go...Roggie's up." I heard a beep. Clem-Clem wasn't here. Mommy was taking to him on the phone. "Mommy? Why are you sad?" I bumped into something unfamiliar._

_"Roger, sweetheart, we've told you to be careful around Mommy's tummy now that there's a baby there." I winced as somebody picked me up without warning. When Mommy put a hand to my cheek reassuringly, I knew I was safe. "Let's get you back to bed. It's much too late for little boys to be wandering out and about. You don't want to turn into a pumpkin."_

_I was always warned that if I stayed up too late past my bedtime I'd turn into a pumpkin for some reason. It made no sense, but I was willing to risk it. After all, for all I knew pumpkins could see._

_"Why were you crying on the phone to Clem-Clem?" I asked as Mommy tucked me in._

_"Grownup stuff." She dismissed. "Go back to sleep, baby, and I'll see you in the morning."_

_"Will I see you?" I knew the answer but I asked anyway. "Mommy?" She couldn't have left already. I would have heard her._

_"I'll be here." She said. "Goodnight, Roger."_

_I wasn't satisfied with any of her answers. I could hear Mommy's footsteps traveling back downstairs. If she wasn't going to bed, then why should I? I was quieter this time as I snuck out of my room._

_"Yeah, Clem, it's Winnie again. Sorry to keep you up so late. I just can't sleep and Michael's snores don't help at all. I don't know how he can sleep so soundly knowing that I'm at 30 weeks. Roger was born at 28 weeks...Yes, I know you were there, Clem. I-I just...What if we have to go through all that heartbreak again? Michael barely has the patience for Roger. Two ill babies might be his breaking point. If he leaves us we'll have no one. And how will I take care of both of them when Roger's already such a handful?...I don't know Clem, I'm scared. It's foolish but I try to keep Roger away from my bump. He's always poking at things. It's not his fault at all, but I just want to be careful. Just now he accidentally walked into it because he couldn't see where he was going. I might be overreacting, but just one accident could hurt the baby._ _We need to do everything we can to ensure that Clare is born healthy and happy and not like Roger. If I can give her a good life then I'll somehow feel better for what little I can do for my poor sweet Roger."_

"Roger!" I was shaken awake. "Veronica has gone into labour. Deaky wants us to meet him at the hospital."

"Brian?" I squinted in our darkened bedroom relieved by the nightlight illuminating the curly haired man in front of me.

"Here, I'll get your clothes. Hurry up and get dressed. We've gotta be there for Deaky." Brian threw an outfit at me.

"I-Is everything okay?" I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes trying to comprehend what was happening.

"Yes, she just went into labour a few days earlier than expected and sent John into a bit of a panic. But both Ronnie and the baby are doing well I'm told. Freddie, on the other hand,apparently fainted, but he'll be fine." Brian explained.

There was no reason to worry. Baby Robert was going to perfect, just like Baby Clare. Healthy and happy. Nothing like ill Baby Roger who defied the odds only to be plagued with a disability that continued to haunt him...

"Bri, I don't know if I wanna be there." That was selfish of me because I knew both John and Veronica needed the moral support from all of their loved ones. Why did I have to make this about me? Still, the insidious thoughts crept into my head. What if I brought bad luck? What if my presence somehow jinxed the baby into a dire position similar to my own?

"We need to be there. I promise everything will be fine, Roggie. There's no need to worry." Brian squeezed my hand reassuringly. Then we were on our way to the hospital, the pit in my stomach growing larger as got closer to our destination.

With barely enough time to secure the 'It's A Boy!' balloon, we rushed to the maternity wing.Probably hearing us, Deaky poked his head out the door. My breath stopped in my chest when I spotted remnants of dried tears on his cheeks. Oh no! But then there was a smile. "I-I have a son! A beautiful little baby son! I'm a Dad." John's voice cracked with emotions.

"Deaky!" I squealed in relief throwing my arms around him. "I'm so proud of you, mate."

"Congratulations!" Brian exclaimed.

"Ronnie did all the real hard work." Deaky said humbly."Come. You've got to meet Robert. He's so precious."

An exhausted Veronica was cradling a tiny blue bundle that was almost unrecognizable. Robert was small and cute I couldn't fathom it. His cheeks were chubby and rosy, his eyes wide and curious as Freddie fussed over how adorable he was.

"I didn't know babies were so small." I whispered trying to remember how Clare felt when I first got to hold her. Maybe I wasn't aware because my parents didn't let me handle Clare until she was a bit bigger.

"This is your first time seeing a baby, isn't it?" Ronnie drawled.

I nodded."He's gonna grow more hair, right?" I noticed that Robert's head was mostly bald with a little bit of fuzz. It was very cute now but when he wasn't a baby anymore it would look funny compared to the other humans who were either fully bald or had some hair from what I had observed.

"Mhmm. But he is perfect." She cooed. "Such a lovely little baby."

"Can I hold him?" Freddie asked eagerly. Ronnie nodded, and he gently picked Robert up holding him very delicately. "Hi there, my little darling. You look just like your daddy. So very, very cute. That's a good thing. You want to be cute like Deaky."

Now that Ronnie was no longer holding her baby something caught my attention. "Your tummy is still big."

"Yes. I don't lose all that baby weight overnight. It'll probably take months for me to recover." She replied.

Now that Robert was safe and out I felt more comfortable around her. There was no way anything bad would happen. "Do you mind if I touch it?"

Ronnie frowned. "Why now? You've had 9 months. I'm not pregnant anymore, Roger. You won't feel any kicks or anything special. Just fat."

"I know." I replied putting my hands on her swollen stomach. The few times I got to touch my mom's bump when she was pregnant with Clare came to mind. I quickly tore my hands away remembering the scolds that would follow. Most were from my father, but sometimes Mom would agree with him. They didn't want me to jeopardize the pregnancy.

"I'm glad Robert's healthy." I said awkwardly stepping back from Ronnie. "S-Sorry."

"Rog, it's alright. What's the matter?" She said.

I was not going to take this momentous time away from them with my frivolous bullshit. "Nothing. Everything is fantastic. We should celebrate the new life."

"Roger, would you like to hold the baby next?" Deakyoffered.

"I don't know." I said hesitantly. My parents didn't trust me with Clare as a newborn and didn't feel comfortable leaving us alone in the same room until she was at least a year old. They had reason for that. But I wasn't that same clumsy blind boy. "If you trust me then alright."

"Why wouldn't you be trusted?" Brian asked.

"Here you go, darling." Freddie gingerly placed Robert into my arms. He was so much lighter than I expected. His eyes fluttered shut moments later. "Aww, somebody's sleepy." I whispered.

"You got him to sleep! See, Rog, I knew there wouldn't be a problem." Deaky quietly applauded.

"You're right." I sighed. "It was dumb of me to think that I'd ruin anything. What happened to me was rare and no one is to blame. It's not my fault if other babies are born sick or blind. I've just gotta accept that and move on."

"Is that why you've waited this long to touch my bump? Oh Roger, we would never blame you if something bad had happened. We are so grateful that you're here and Robert is healthy and thriving. But you shouldn't blame yourself for things you can't control at all." Ronnie said.

"I think you brought good luck, Roger." Brian remarked.

"Thanks, Bri. Do you want to hold him now? If that's alright with John and Ronnie?"

"Everyone should get a chance to hold Robert because he's so sweet." Deaky encouraged.

Shortly after Brian took Robert from me, the baby woke up from his brief nap. He made a soft cooing sound and then went back to sleep again. Freddie nearly doubled over squealing at the cuteness. "I'm so grateful I can see you." I told Robert as he slept peacefully. "Before you know it, you're gonna be just like me asking lots of questions all about the world around you as you become familiar with it. So we can grow and learn together. How does that sound, little guy?"

"You're going to be a great father yourself some day, Roger." John stated.

Brian looked down at the baby in his arms and then back at me. "Some day." He agreed with a smile.

It was something to look forward to, but for now I knew both Robert and I had a lot more growing up to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Meh. Idk about this one. I tried my best. I'm not in the best head space with everything that's been going on with COVID so hopefully it doesn't hinder my writing. Let me know what you think!


	6. Gimme Fried Chicken

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roger sees various foods for the first time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well this is what happens when you get cravings during quarantine. Don't worry I'm not going hungry or anything. There's plenty of food thank God. So I shouldn't complain. But my family are health freaks so there's literally no fun food in the house. It's all veggies and healthy crap. I can't go out anymore and that was the only time I was able to get something decent to eat when I was on campus or just out and about. Now that I'm confined to the house and my family will freak out and shame me if I order something actually good for take out, I'm kinda screwed. I know I sound like a first world problem privileged bitch, but I digress. Long story short I'd kill a bish for something fried and greasy right now. This is the result. Here's Roger seeing various foods for the first time:

**1.** 🎂

By some miracle I had gotten Brian to join us in the Conga line despite his protests and claims that he couldn't dance. I was slightly buzzed from all the alcohol, so I partied hard. I danced to my heart's content proclaiming my love of vision, Brian, and of course the newlyweds. It was a magical evening and I was so happy to be here celebrating alongside John and Veronica.

I took a break from the dance floor and wandered over to Brian and Freddie who were laughing over a cocktail.

"Roger, darling, you look like you're having lots of fun." Freddie proclaimed. "Thats great!"

"Yeah." I replied grabbing Brian's glass and finishing it for him. "Except I can't keep up with Disco Deaky. He's been dancing nonstop."

"No one can compete with the true dancing queen." Freddie said. "Looking good, Deaky!" He called to his younger brother on the dance floor.

"Thanks, Bri." I said handing him back the empty glass.

"Next time ask." He said.

"You would've said no." I frowned.

"Am I sensing trouble in paradise?" Freddie interrupted. "Have you two fought yet?"

"It's difficult to be mad at a partner with puppy dog eyes." Brian sighed leaning down to kiss me.

"These puppy dog eyes can see!" I giggled. "I love sight." I nearly melted under Brian's warm hazel gaze as he commented on how particularly cute I was when drunk. "Don't be jealous, babe. I love sight, but not as much as I love the person who gave me sight."

"God?" Brian asked cluelessly. "I never knew you were religious. You said you didn't believe in that stuff."

"God? Oh hell no. What has that bastard ever done for me? I was talking about you, Brimi. I love you and you're the one who gave me sight."

"Brisus Christ that's a whole lotta cute!" Freddie squealed. "It's too sweet! We won't have room for the wedding cake!"

_"And now ladies and gentlemen, the bride and groom will cut the wedding cake!"_

Everyone gathered round the table holding up a white tower comprised of circular layers. Little doll versions of John and Veronica dressed in a tuxedo and white gown, respectively, were standing on top. I felt so funny asking as everyone seemed to know, but I whispered to Brian "What is that thing?"

"It's the wedding cake, Roggie." There was no judgement in his voice and I replied a quick thanks feeling at ease in the new world full of mysteries. I would only know cake by its taste but not its sight.

"And didn't Joe do a spectacular job with it?" Freddie exclaimed as John and Veronica began to carve into the creation with a knife they held together. "By the way those edible cake toppers were based on my drawings of the bride and groom. I can't believe how well he made them come to life!"

"First slice goes to us!" John laughed as he put a forkful of the fluffy red substance surrounded by the white cream into his wife's mouth. Veronica did the same for her husband.

When the rest of us got our pieces I was able to know immediately by taste that it was red velvet. "Wait...it's called that cause it's red inside!" I gasped. "Mind blown!"

"Wait...Oh I never realized that either." Brian said staring down the pastry on my plate. "Life is always better in color."

"Mmm." The buttery soft bite melted in my mouth. "Are you sure you don't want a taste, Bri?" I offered.

"Rog, you know it's not vegan. I'm more than happy to watch you enjoy it though." He replied and I imagined I was making some attractive faces as I was in a cake-filled bliss.

 **2.** 🍦

"I can't thank you enough for doing this, boys!" Brian encouraged as Deaky tampered with his amplifier and I tuned my drums.

"Of course, Bri. We know how much this means to you and we love performing. Why not do a good thing for charity?" John remarked still fiddling with the knobs. I trusted that he knew what he was doing to make us sound great. This was going to be the best charity event Team Badger ever put together! We would blow everyone away.

"Be honest with me, darlings, which leotard do you like better?" Freddie casually emerged from behind the curtains wearing only his boxers. He held up two leotards with no shame about his lack of covering now. "Solid or checkers?"

"Freddie!" Deaky squealed flushing pink and covering his eyes.

"Um...checkers." I decided.

"Actually, the staff requested we all wear the Team Badger event t-shirt. It's a family event, Freddie. Keep that in mind." Brian said. He gestured to the black t-shirt with a badger he had on now.

"What? No, no, no, darling, that simply won't do. I wear what I want and I do what I want." Freddie pouted.

"I don't make the rules, Fred." Brian sighed. "There's a box of shirts backstage. You all should go grab one before they go."

"This is a big disgrace!" Freddie proclaimed as Deaky and I went backstage to find the t-shirts. He huffed and joined us, rummaging through the shirts to find our sizes. John snatched the last medium.

"Deaky, that's not fair." Freddie wailed. "Fuck it, I'll wear a small and it will look brilliant with my tight pants."

"I'll probably wear a small too." I decided as I continued to search for mediums in the endless sea of larges. There were no smalls left either. That rotter Freddie picked the last one! "NOOOO!" I shouted.

"Oh relax, Roger, dear. You always look cute when you wear Brian's oversized clothes. If you just roll back the sleeves and maybe tie off the back with a rubber band, I'm sure you can pull it off." Freddie said as he put on the small shirt that rightfully should have been mine.

"Hurry up, it's time for soundcheck!" Brian called. Freddie adjusted the T-shirt I was drowning in even though his alterations did nothing. The shirt fit like a dress I looked like a bloody VSCO girl.

"Briiiiiii." I whined. "I can't perform like this."

"Sure you can. You look adorable." He kissed my cheek.

"No!" I stomped my foot just for the sake of arguing. "You can't make me do this!"

"You know when you do that you become even cuter. Like a little chihuahua barking at much bigger dog." Freddie laughed.

"Fuck you, Freddie!"

"Darling, please, I know every one wants a piece of me, but I'm afraid the only one fucking me tonight goes by the name of Jim Hutton." He replied smoothly.

Deaky screamed in embarrassment and hid behind the risers. "Too much information, Freddie!"

"I'm so sorry, my little creampuff. That wasn't for your ears, my innocent, baby. Roger dear, I blame you for upsetting him."

"You said it not me." I challenged.

"Can we just play our music for crying out loud?" John sighed.

"No, John. We can't play. Because Freddie stole my shirt!" I cried.

"Rog, you look fine...better than fine even." Brian said. "Can we all just get along and make this a great show? It's for the badgers!"

"It can't be a great show because I look ridiculous!" I protested. "How can I play my best when I don't look my best?"

"And they call me the drama queen." Freddie sighed. "Children please. We can all kill each other, but then who would be left to put on the show?"

"Just give the red special over to one of Bri's badgers. I'm sure it would do a great job entertaining the crowds." I figured.

"Okay that's it!" I knew I was in trouble when Brian came storming at me taking long strides with his elegant legs. In a matter of seconds, he had me in his grasp and carried me over to the drum kit. "You are going to set your ass here and drum your little heart out and the audience is going to love it. Got it?"

Damn. Was it just me or was there something sexy in that authoritative tone? "But.. but...my shirt." I muttered defiantly just for the hell of it.

"I'll get you frozen yogurt if you behave." Brian proposed. There was a froyo shop just a few blocks from here that tempted me on the ride over here, and I had asked about it earlier. "Okay." I agreed.

"I want froyo too!" Deaky exclaimed.

"We'll all go after the show." Freddie decided.

***

I was expected the intoxicating aroma of vanilla and cinnamon when we entered the frozen yogurt store. What I wasn't expecting was the setup resembling a factory with complex machinery. It was a bit overwhelming. "So I've actually never done this before...at least not without sight, and even then Clare would make up my bowl for me. I just told her what I wanted and she'd bring it to me."

"Oooh! Another first for you! This is going to be so much fun, darling! Follow me." Freddie guided me into the line and we picked our cups. "Now, if you're boring like Brian you'll just pick the standard dairy free vanilla and that's it, but the trick is to mix all of the flavors into one bowl."

"Hey! It's not my fault that that's the only vegan option they have. I am not boring, Fred." Brian exclaimed. "And let Rog decide for himself what he wants."

"Sorry, darling, did you say something? I couldn't hear you. You must have put me to sleep. That's how boring you are, dear." Freddie teased.

"Or his voice is just so calm and comforting that you need to hear it 24/7 even when you're sleeping." I said, sticking up for my man. Oh shit! Wait that sounded creepy. "Not that I'm obsessed or anything like that...I just like hearing you talk and stuff."

"Thanks, honey. I like hearing you talk and stuff too." He teased, ruffling my hair. "And don't worry about Freddie. He's just upset with me because I beat him at Scrabble."

"Antidisestablishmentarianism is not a word!" Freddie cried. "You cheater!"

"Yes it is." Brian insisted. "It's the opposition to the disestablishment of the Church of England. Look it up."

"Well then it shouldn't be allowed in Scrabble. It's too damn long. Even for me. And normally I love long things. Just look at Jim's--"

"--Freddie enough!" Deaky cried. "Let's just make our froyo without reference to sex or nudity." He held his cup in front of the machine labeled Cinnamon Roll. "Whoa!" I gasped when Deaky pulled a lever and a liquid poured down from the device and into the cup. "What the fuck? Is that what froyo looks like? Is that where it comes from?"

"Yes, dear." Freddie laughed and put little spurts of frozen yogurt from each machine into his cup and mashed them together into one colorful sloppy mush. That looked like fun. I followed Freddie and smashed all the flavors together into a messy slur. Who new frozen yogurt could resemble soup? It made sense though, they had the same texture. I just never really thought about it.

"Wow!" I gasped at the rows and rows of toppings to choose from. There had to be at least 39 different candies and treats to put into my bowl. Not even recognizing most of them I plucked a handful from each container into my bowl and mixed them all together creating a beautiful chaotic mess.

"Roger, your bowl is overflowing." Brian got a napkin to clean up my mess.

"What's this?" I asked picking out one of the rainbow squigglies I had in my bowl.

"That's a gummy worm." Brian said. "If you don't know what it is why would you take it?" He put slices of fruit in his sad plain bowl.

"I like surprises." I said slurping up a spoonful in suspense. It was so sweet!

"Hang on, Rog, we have to pay for it first." Brian laughed. "What am I going to do with you, silly?"

"Giving him a sugar rush is probably not the best idea." Deaky winked.

"Well it's a little late for that." Brian sighed. "How about you and Fred take care of him while he reaches his sugar high, and I'll be the one to give him cuddles when he crashes."

Freddie held up his froyo bowl. "Cheers, my darlings!"

 **3.** 🍟

Don't get me wrong, Brian May could do no wrong in my new eyes. I loved him wholeheartedly and nothing would ever change that. While everything I did with him was special, there was a new experience I missed out on and had to achieve without him. It made me feel guilty, but I doubted that going to McDonalds with sight for the first time made me a bad husband. Especially because I was doing it for business purposes.

Apparently the modeling company I worked for was getting sued for encouraging body dysmorphia and eating disorders. So they partnered with McDonalds and I was asked alongside several other models to do a photoshoot for an advertisement. I wasn't sure how posing with a Big Mac would help with this serious and complex social issue, but I was eager to see the famous Golden Arches for the very first time. I actually hadn't eaten a lot of junk food lately thanks to Brian and his vegan chef skills.

"You've had vision for over a year now and you've never seen a McDonalds before?" One of the models was American and we all knew the chain is a very common sight across the pond. So she was stunned by this news.

I shrugged. "Hubby's a vegan. He wouldn't be caught dead anywhere near a McDonald's."

"So you don't venture out on your own?" She asked skeptically.

I cringed. I always hated it when people questioned my independence. Even my own mother would jokingly refer to Brian as a parent. "I can manage fine on my own. Thank you very much." I said sharply. Case in point: This job.

Of course I was familiar with the greasy smell of the establishment. I'd been to McDonalds plenty of times while blind. In fact Michael used to work at McDonalds, so we frequented a lot. But the sights were something else. It was like being transported to outer space with a colorful jungle of slides and tubes and pool filled with little circles instead of water. "What the fuck?"

Before I could further examine this strange world full of kids running rampant without an adult in sight, a man approached us. The golden arch logo was on his red uniform shirt. "Hi everyone! You must be our beautiful models. Hopefully none of you are screaming Karens because I'm the manager of this chain. Now we're gonna have each of you pose with a specific menu item. And then we'll do some group photos with Ronald McDonald. Any questions?" 

I raised my hand. "I've got a question." I pointed to the out place padded off area where the children continued to play. "What's that?" Several of the other models snickered at my stupidity. Fuck them! I wanted to know. 

"That's the play area." The manager replied. "The kids just love it! And the parents can't wait to unload their little rascals and have a break for themselves." He chuckled. 

"Ohh yeah..." I vaguely recalled something like that from my darkened childhood. Of course Clare was the only one allowed to go play. I had to stay with Mom so I wouldn't get hurt or lost. Apparently she didn't think I was capable of climbing and jumping through the tubes and slides and I might bump into other kids. 

I was asked to do some sexy poses with the chicken mcnuggets to them look even more appealing. This advertising campaign was aimed more towards teens and adults rather than kids. I opened the red box to see the props I was working with already knowing what they tasted felt and smelled like. No surprises, they were the irregularly shaped golden crisps the same as everyone described them. The color on the inside was different from the outside, but other than that they were about the same as I always imagined them to look. I held one up to my mouth and posed suggestively with my head held back and my eyes fluttering shut. I got applause from the cameramen. Why did I get the feeling that strangers would be jerking off to this advertisement once it was printed and mass produced in the media? Maybe this was why Brian wanted me to be a dentist rather than a model...

"Excellent work, Roger! Let's take a few more and maybe have you unbutton your shirt, show a bit of skin?" Before I could give permission, my boss walked over and undid the buttons on my shirt for me. A McDonalds representative pushed the red box with the golden arches forward so it was also in the focus. 

I felt kind of dirty after my photoshoot was done and I wasn't sure why. It's not like I did anything wrong. I shrugged it off and popped some chicken mcnuggets into my mouth to make me feel better. 

"Okay, now let's all get some group photos with the one and only Ronald McDonald!" The manager announced. 

I spit out my chicken mcnuggets and screamed like bloody murder when the horrid pale face with red blood-like makeup smeared on its lips and nose matching the red hair of a clown from hell emerged out of a backroom. Oh hell no! Pennywise was not going to eat me today. I reached for the mace that Uncle Clem had given me for self defense purposes and sprayed it in the demon's face. "NOT TODAY SATAN!" I yelled and sprinted out of the restaurant as fast as I could. 

***

"You did what?" Brian cried. 

"The only reason they didn't fire me was because chicken mcnugget sales sky rocketed within hours after they released the ad campaign and my pictures got the most clicks on the website." I replied. "Who knew I'd be the most popular model?"

"Roger, you can't just spray mace in people's faces. That's not a--Oh my God! Why do you have to look so damn good?" Brian's jaw dropped at some of the images of me that were borderline pornographic. 

"I bet that makes you hungry for chicken mcnuggets." I teased the vegan. 

"No, it makes me hungry for something else entirely." He grinned, scooping me up and carrying me to the bedroom. 

**4.** 🍹

Today was a great day for me! Well not so much for Brian, but I was taking good care of him. He had just gotten a cavity filling at the dentist and was in a bit of pain. Normally I'd be sad, but I was just too excited because I was able to watch the dentist work on him. It was like a dream come true, so I was in high spirits. 

"And did you see the way the cavity looked before he filled it? Then the tool he used to..."

"...Okay, Rog, that's enough." Brian sighed. "Why don't you help me make a smoothie since that's the only thing I can eat for a while."

I was hear to offer him a helping hand, but I had no clue how to make a smoothie. That wasn't even something I did in the dark. So I was completely inept as usual. "Umm...alright." I tried to sound confident. God, what did Brian see in me again? I was no better than a child. 

"Here, I'll turn on the blender and you can get me the ingredients. I'm sure we have plenty of veggies because I just went shopping the other day. Let's have some kale, maybe a carrot, and perhaps some zucchini." Brian instructed. 

I crinkled my nose. "Bleh. I thought smoothies were supposed to be fun like chocolate or vanilla or cookies and cream."

"It's not a milkshake, Rog. I just can't eat solids right now. So instead of eating a veggie salad, I'll drink it instead." Brian replied and turned on the blender, adding some ice. I got him all the vegetables he requested assuming we'd chop them up. Much to my surprise, Brian put them in whole. He closed the lid of the blender and pushed the button. I screamed when it made the same loud noise as the dreaded vacuum. Normally loud sounds didn't bother me (I was usually the cause of the loud sounds like screaming and drumming), but when they would come out of nowhere I was reminded of how most loud things I couldn't see would be frightening when I encountered them in the dark. Except the zooming sound of a roaring engine or tires skidding down a road. That I was 100% okay with even if I didn't see it coming. 

"Oh, Freddie is right. You are like a scared little kitten at times." Brian cooed putting. "Come here, honey." He put a comforting arm around me. "It's just the blender. I sometimes forget that you're experiencing things for the first time because you're so well adjusted." 

"Bullshit." I sighed. "I'm pathetic."

"Roger Taylor, who the hell told you that? You are most certainly not pathetic. You're the bravest person I know as a matter of fact. I doubt many people could do what you do and handle it so gracefully." Brian gave me a chaste kiss before unlidding the blender and pouring the concoction into a cup. I peered at the swampy green liquid that had been solids moments ago. Learning about the different phases of matter: solid, liquid, and gas had been difficult for me, but now it was starting to make more sense and the concept wasn't as complex to understand. 

"Let's see how it tastes." Brian held up the cup, but I stopped him. I suddenly had a spurge of inspiration. Brian was so good to me and I didn't deserve so I wanted him to let loose and have some fun. So maybe this would help ease his pain. "You're missing a vital ingredient. Stay here. Don't drink it yet." I ordered and went into the cellar to fetch a bottle of whiskey. "Clearly they didn't give you enough novocaine because you're too coherent. This ought to do the trick!" I proclaimed and poured a splash of whiskey into his cup. 

"Ahh, just what the doctor ordered. Thanks Rog." He got me my own cup and poured some. "You deserve some too because you're doing a great job helping me feel better." Brian held up his cup in a toast. "To you, my little angel." I beamed and picked up my own cup. "To you, my shining star." 

**5.** 🍞

They say it takes a village to raise a child. Deaky might not have a village, but he had a support system of the most loyal queens at his service. Brian, Freddie, Jim, and I all helped to care for our new nephew baby Robert as if he was our own. That meant we were in Ronnie and John's flat round the clock helping out with everything from diapers to bottles. Was this a test run for when we would one day have kids of our own? I wasn't sure. All I knew was that my best friend and his wife needed our help and Robert sure was cute.

I entered the flat quietly in case the baby was sleeping. Ronnie was napping on the couch while Deaky bounced his baby boy on his knee looking happy but utterly exhausted.

"Bri's at work. It's just me." I whispered. "How can I help?"

"Thanks, Rog. You're a life saver!" John replied. "I haven't eaten yet. Do you mind making me cheese on toast?"

"Of course." I said entering the kitchen. That was an easy request. My cooking skills definitely needed work, but I could figure this out. I retrieved a loaf of bread and slices of cheese from the refrigerator. Wait, this would involve a toaster. Fuck! How could I not know what a toaster looked like? Surely, we had one in our kitchen. I strained my memory. Did Brian ever use it? Toasting his veggies perhaps. No, he only roasted them.

Not wanting to be a bother, I peeked my head back into the living room. "Um...Deaks, do you um know where the toaster is?"

"Oh don't worry, Roger. I can do it. Here, hold Robert for me." John gingerly handed over his baby and I watched intrigued as he prepared his favorite snack.

The toaster was a small silver machine with a confusing set of knobs and buttons. Deaky wasn't deterred by these complications. He loaded the two slices of bread into the square slits. Was that how it worked? Casually, he pressed one of the buttons. I gasped when the bread sank down and disappeared.

"You've never seen this before, have you?" John chuckled at my reaction. "You're just as interested in this as the baby."

I looked down and smiled when I noticed that Robert too was watching his father with wide eyes curiously.

Without warning, the slices of bread popped right back up now nice and toasty. "Amazing!" I exclaimed. Deaky only shrugged and retrieved his bread to add the cheese.

***

Why was this so much fun? I didn't know why I was so entertained by toasting bread. Maybe it was that thrilling moment seeing the slices pop up, but there was an addicting quality to it. I squealed with excitement when it happened again. I was busy staring at the toaster waiting for that magical moment when Brian came home from work. "Roger?"

"In the kitchen!" I called.

"Ah, there you are. I was--What the hell?" Brian gasped as the toaster did its beautiful thing slinging the bread slices back up again. I screamed with satisfaction. I could never get tired of watching this.

"Roger, why did you make 39 slices of toast? Do I even wanna ask?"

Oh right. I was being very wasteful. I forgot about that part. I was too distracted by this new trick I had discovered. Vision was just full of surprises. "How do you feel about having toast with our next few meals?" I asked sheepishly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Meh. Nothing to see here but fluffy fluff fluff! Hope you enjoyed. 💞💞💞


	7. Here's to the Future for the Dreams of Youth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A glimpse in the love birds' future

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got this cute idea and had to write it down. It should be clear from reading it but this is a little glimpse into our love birds' future so it takes place years later. Also a return of the beloved Dr. Pikachu who you may remember from a pervious one-shot because why the hell not?

_Roger's POV_

On bright, humid summer days like today I was grateful for my prescription sunglasses so I could see the world in crisp detail, shield my sensitive eyes from the rays of sun, and most importantly look like a badass. My sapphire ring sparkled in the sunlight letting all the single moms at the park playground know that I wasn't interest even though I looked like a bachelor.

"Hazel, honey, stay where I can see you!" I called. The three year old girl with bright blue eyes and chocolate brown curls dressed in a pink shirt with Olaf on it emerged from behind the slide and waved. I waved back.

"She's precious." Ronnie cooed as she prepared Baby Michael's bottle.

"So are your little ones." I said peering down into the stroller at what was soon to be the second youngest Deacon. "I can't believe you're having a third kid. Just Hazel alone is so much work. Bri and I never have any time to—Hazel, sweetie, put down that toad! You don't want to get warts!"

"Bye-bye Fwoggy." She told her new friend before dropping him back onto the ground to hop away. Aww. I wish I had caught that on video. It was too cute. Now I could brag to Brian that he had missed out on our daughter being adorable again. Haha! While he was busy looking through telescopes, I had the best view in the world and I was embracing every sweet sight.

I mindlessly watched as Hazel began to build sandcastles in the sandbox with Robert and some other children. "Papa, look at my castle!" She squealed.

"I see it, honey!" I applauded. Then I stopped smiling when the insane little munchkin karate chopped the tower down and shoveled the chunks of sand into her mouth. "Oh no, no, Hazel, don't eat the sand!"I doubt she heard me or cared, but things could be worse. Another mother yelled at her son to stop pooping in the grass like a dog.If parenting taught me anything it was that toddlers were like little drunk people.

"Oh my! Baby 3 just kicked." Ronnie gasped putting a hand to her growing tummy. I tore my eyes away from Hazel for a moment to look down at the latest baby bump. "I feel like Michael was just in there." I remarked and then looked at the cooing baby in the stroller. "I guess you had to kick him out to make room for the next one." I joked.

"Laugh all you want, Rog, but being pregnant is no fun." Ronnie remarked.

"Really? Because with how often you and Deaky procreate I'd say you enjoy it." I snickered. We all knew that Baby 3 wouldn't be the last of the deaklings, but that fact remained unspoken at the moment.

I glanced back to the playground and panicked a bit when I couldn't spot Hazel in the sandbox anymore. It was okay though because she was wobbling through the jungle gym playing tag with some other kids. "Papa, this is my new best fwiend!" She tagged a girl and then ran off. "And this is also my new best fwiend." She tagged a boy. This continued until Hazel had about a dozen or so new best friends. Clearly, she didn't know how to play tag, but I figured she'd learn eventually so I shouldn't spoil her fun.

"She's gonna do great in school next year. Already such a social butterfly." Ronnie observed. "Robert's a bit more reserved like his father, but that's alright. Shy kids can still make friends."

"I can't believe he'll be starting first grade in the fall." I said as I watched Robert go down the slide. "He's gotten so big."

"I know." Ronnie said. "We still keep his outgrown clothes for Michael to wear, but soon I'll be passing them onto the next little one because Michael will outgrow them as well."

Hazel stumbled over to the bench waving her arms wildly. "Papa watch me go on the monkey bars!"

"I'm watching, sweetheart. I see you!"I told her. To Hazel this is was a simple validation, and maybe to Ronnie it was just a passing comment, but to me it meant a lot. "I see you." I said again smiling to my visible daughter.

She excitedly made her way over to the monkey bars at the top of the jungle gym. Ronnie cringed. "I don't know if that's a good idea for her, Roger. Those monkey bars are made for the bigger kids. What if she falls and hurts herself?" ****

"You think she'll get hurt?" I wondered. There was a soft padded area beneath the monkey bars so I didn't really think twice about it. Although Ronnie had a point. "Be careful up there, Hazel!" I called to her as she dangled above the ground hanging onto the bars over her head.Only she wasn't gripping it tightly enough because her hands slipped.

"HAZEL!" I ran to the falling girl as quickly as I could. Thankfully she landed softly onto the mushy padding beneath her.There were no signs of bruises or injuries, but Hazel still began to cry. "Papa, I fell down!" She wailed, breaking my heart. I hated it so much when my poor baby cried.

"You're a fallen angel." I cooed picking her up. "Please don't cry, baby. I've got you. I'm here." Poor thing just wouldn't stop crying even as I held her.

Then I got an idea. I plucked one of the pink peony poppies that were growing in the grass. "Look at this pretty flower, Hazel." I stuck the flower behind her ear in between her matted curls. She definitely inherited Brian's hair, but even though Clare was our surrogate I could see bits of me in her as well. As I tried to smooth and tame the unruly coils with my fingers, Hazel removed the flower from her mane. She twirled it in her hands staring down at its pink petals curiously. Her fall seemed to be forgotten completely. Those tears were soon dried. Success!

"That flower is called a peony poppy. Uncle Jim has some of them planted in Garden Lodge in all different colors. He can tell you more about them than I can 'cause he's a florist and knows all about flowers." ' _And there was a time not too long ago when I'd never be able to identify a flower because I couldn't even see it.'_ I thought, but I quickly shook the memory out of my mind. Hazel would know only a bright world full of hope. She didn't need to consider the tragic reality that some people can't see anything at all. I'd explain all that to her when she was older and slightly less innocent.

"Pink." Hazel chirped.

"That's right! It's pi--Wait! What did you just say?" I gasped. Hazel looked up at me and then back down at the flower. "Pink flower." She said again. Did I tell her that the flower was pink? I must have. How else would she have known? Despite her name Hazel could not see in color yet.

"Papa, down now!" She tugged at my sleeve prompting me to gently lower her back down, but not before kissing her cheek. "Alright. Go play, honey. But no more monkey bars, okay?

Instead of returning to the jungle gym, Hazel crouched down and uprooted a fistful of grass. She held up her finding for me to see. "Gween!" She proclaimed.

I did a double take. Once was a mistake because she might have been mimicking something she heard. Twice definitely meant something, but it wasn't possible. "Hazel Blue May, what did you just say?" I asked again in disbelief in case I had misheard. "Gween, Papa!" She repeated. "Gween!" She pointed to the grass and then up at the leaves in the trees. Holy shit! I was flabbergasted.

"That's right. It's green. B-But how...how do you know that?" I cried. The only way she would be able to see in color was if she met her soulmate.

"Blue." Hazel pointed to the sky. "Blue." She said again. Then she pointed to my eyes. "Blue."

There was no mistaking it. My daughter was no longer colorblind. Somehow she had found her soulmate. What the hell? For now I focused on what Hazel was trying to show me. In this case it was my own eyes.

"Yours too, honey. Your eyes are blue too." I told her trying to catch a breath. "Just like your middle name." It was almost her first name in fact. I thought back with a laugh to Freddie's sound advice. _'Darling, you can't name your daughter Blue Hazel. It's too similar to Blue Ivy. People are going to think you're unoriginal. How about Hazel Blue? I like that better.'_

"Yellow." Hazel casually ran over to the slide covered in chipped yellow paint. "Yellow!" She repeated as she went down. 

"Okay now you're just showing off." I said to myself.

Of course now Hazel was no longer intrigued by colors and seemed more interested in going down the slide as many times as possible.

While she was busy with that, I scanned the playground and the dozens of kids who were bustling around. In her sporadic game of tag, Hazel had tapped just about all of them. That meant any one in this group of children could be her soulmate. Moms were watching from the benches, and I knew they would find it questionable if a stranger were to walk up to their child and ask them if they could see in color. If a man did that to Hazel I would spray mace in his face and drag my daughter far away as quickly as I could. Nope, I was not in the mood for that kind of misunderstanding that could put me on a child predator list. Besides, if these families were local, then Hazel would likely be going to the same school, and they could potentially meet again there. It was selfish of me but I would rather Hazel be much older when she found her soulmate. Right now she was too immature to understand the concept, and there was no way in hell I was going to give my three year old daughter the sex talk that would naturally follow.

"Hey, Rog!" Ronnie called over to me as she collected Robert. "It's late. We're gonna get going. 'kay?"

"Alright. Tell Deaks I say hi." I told her. "Hazel, say bye."

"Bye-bye Auntie Wonnie. Bye-bye Wobert. Bye-bye Michael. Bye-bye new baby." She patted Ronnie's belly.

"We should be getting home too." I said taking Hazel by the hand. "Maybe we can surprise Daddy at work and stop by his lab? Staring into that telescope of his all day long has got to be boring. Let's go cheer him up!"

"Okay." Hazel agreed. I glanced back at the playground one last time. None of the children playing seemed to be screaming out the names of colors or reacting like their world had changed. It was possible that her soulmate had left, so searching here would be a waste of time anyway.

"Can I play with Daddy's badgers?" Hazel asked as I clicked the seatbelt on her carseat into place. "Not today, honey. We're going to Daddy's other job. Remember, he works at two places." I reminded her.

"Oh yeah. The boring space job. I like the one with the animal fwiends better." I was probably to be blamed for turning her off to astrophysics because I often referred to Brian's work with the British Space Program as boring science stuff. Oops.

"Papa?" Hazel asked as I began to drive. "Why do I see color?"

I hesitated but decided to ultimately be honest. "'Cause you found your soulmate. It must've been one of the kids at the park."

"Oh." She looked out the window. "What's a soulmate?"

"It's the person who was born to love you and you'll live happily ever after with." Cliche as hell, but from what I experienced, it was true.

"Is that like Ana and Kwistoff?" Of course Hazel related it to Frozen. Oh no! Now that she could see color she would be screaming nonstop that her eyes were blue, and that was the same color as Elsa's eyes and ice dress.

"Yes, Hazel. Just like Ana and Kristoff." That was the best way she'd understand the idea of having a soulmate.

"When it comes time for my heart to get unfwozen, will my soulmate come back for me like Kwistoff came back for Ana?" She squealed.

"Ummm....yeah sure." I humored her.

Of course Hazel's inquisitive nature didn't stop there. "Papa?" She asked. "Are you and Daddy soulmates?"

"Yes we are." I said proudly.

"How do you know?"

"Because we can see in color now." I told her as I pulled into the parking lot. "Now let's go see Daddy."

I unclicked her from her carseat and set her down. Hazel eagerly tottered forward, but I quickly pulled her back, undermining a disaster. "Hey! Hey! Not so fast, love. You know the rules. Hold my hand and look both ways when crossing the street." I grasped her hand and guided her safely. 

"Why do we look both ways?" Hazel asked.

"So we can make sure it's safe to go without getting run over." I explained. "Cars are our four wheeled friends, but we don't want to get flattened like pancakes, now do we?"

"I wanna be a pancake!" Hazel squealed.

"No, you don't. This way, honey." I led her into the lobby of the building where Brian worked. Since it was a government building with lots of high profile technology and rockets, we had to go through a security check like we would at the airport or a courthouse. It didn't take too long. Just a walk through some metal detectors. After retrieving her backpack from the conveyer belt, Hazel checked to make sure her unicorn plushie was still intact.

I visited Brian a lot so the secretary on his lab floor recognized me. I had the feeling she didn't like me very much. Maybe it was because I typically ignored her and went straight past her desk to visit Brian. In fact Brian gave her specific instructions to not call security on me because I had done this so many times. It wasn't my fault and blocked me from my husband.

"Hello, Roger. Let me guess, you're here to see the hubby again?" She assumed in her monotone voice not looking up from her computer screen.

"You know I just can't see him enough." I said. "Don't tell me he's in a meeting or something because I think we're more important."

Hazel stood up on her tiptoes trying to see over the desk. "Hi!" She waved up at the secretary earning a small smile from the otherwise straitlaced woman. "Hello, little one. Would you like some candy? I always keep a secret stash beneath my desk." The secretary pulled out a jar of candy.

"How come I never knew about this?" I gasped, reaching into a jar to retrieve two pieces of candy. One for me and one for Hazel.

"You don't bring the sweet girl around too often. You're usually here ambushing me all on your own." The secretary said bluntly. "And I know what you said about the meetings, but Dr. May is with two very important colleagues right now and shouldn't be bothered."

"Uh-huh. I'm sure they're the equivalent of his husband and daughter." I disregarded and walked right past her desk ignoring her protests. Hazel followed without hesitation. Office room 39 was unlocked as usual and I entered without knocking. Brian said I was always welcomed so that superseded everything.

Brian was seated in a swivel chair biting down on a pencil as he stared at a chalkboard where two men were writing down complex formulas. I recognized the man with the monocle as one of the many scientists who frequented Brian's book signings. Naturally with a name as unique as Dr. Pikachu he was very difficult to forget. The other man was foreign to me, but I assumed he was also a renowned scientist. "...gravitational pull of cosmic particles..." I had no clue what they were talking about, but one thing on the board bothered me.

"You've made a mistake." I said walking up to the chalkboard. "I'm no mathematician, but this seems pretty basic."

"Rog?" Brian grinned and got up from his seat. "What are you doing here?"

"Hi Daddy!" Hazel ran to give him a hug and his eyes lit up even more when he saw her. "Oh my baby girl, I'm so happy to see you!" Brian spun her up into the air.

"I'm sorry are you a scientist?" The unfamiliar man asked me as I approached the chalkboard.

"Nope, but I know that 2-3 equals -1 not 1." I said. I picked up a piece of chalk and added a minus sign. "You're welcome."

"Eureka!" The man exclaimed.

"How did we miss that?" Dr. Pikachu gasped.

Brian's jaw dropped. "This changes everything!" He giddily wrapped me in his arms and kissed me. "Roger, do you realize what you've done. You've solved our problem without even trying. We've been staring at this board for hours...and I don't know how we didn't see that elementary mistake!"

"Just goes to show you what a fresh pair of eyes will do." The third man said, patting me on the back. "What did you say your field of study was, lad?"

"Um I'm not a--"

"--Dr. Olaf, this is my husband, Roger." Brian intervened. "Rog, you remember Dr. Pikachu from that publishing party a while back?"

"Of course, how could I forget Dr. Pikachu." I tried to hold back my laugh. "Always a pleasure, Roger." He replied warmly. "This is our esteemed colleague Dr. Olaf. You may be familiar with his work in cosmo thermonuclear fusion."

"Yes of course." I lied having no clue what any of that meant. "It's great to meet you, Dr. Olaf. I enjoyed your latest book on...cosmopolitan thermostats. I wish I had brought my copy so you could sign it but I left it at home."

"Olaf?"Hazel gasped. "You must like warm hugs!"Without warning she gave the scientist a big hug.

"Is this your daughter, Dr. May?" Dr. Olaf asked, appearing more curious than delighted to have a toddler hugging him. He shook his leg trying to unlatch Hazel who was very clingy. Most people might not mind, but Dr. Olaf seemed perturbed. What was with these stuck up scientists?

"Yes, this is our little Hazel, an absolute treasure." Brian said proudly.

"Yes...now um please remove this child from me and tell her I don't like to be touched." Dr. Olaf said with a hint of disgust. Well he officially disgusted me then if he had a problem with my daughter.

"Sorry, my sweet starlight," Brian said as he gently pried Hazel off of him. "Dr. Olafisn't like the silly snowman. It's best if you keep your hands to yourself around him."

"Ohhh the germs." Dr. Olaf cried ashe pumped the bottle of hand sanitizer on Brian's desk until it was nearly empty. Ahh. He was a hysterical germaphobe Now that made sense. My mother used to be that way around me until I was about 10 and we knew for sure that my immune system was as stable as the doctors promised. There were certain cases where that sort of erratic behavior was warranted, but fortunately we were all healthy and not in the midst of a global pandemic. Dr. Olaf was able to calm down once his hands were sanitized.

"Dr. May dedicated his last book to you. You're his blind partner." He acknowledged.

"Formerly blind." I corrected.

"Roger is amazing. He's come so incredibly farover the years. It's such an inspiration to watch him blossom." Brian bragged. "I would never would be able to adjust so well after being blind for so long."

"What is blind, Papa?" Hazel asked. The question was directed to me but I looked to Brian. Did I really want Hazel to know that people existed in a world of darkness that she wouldn't dream of? I promised her life would be nothing but rainbows and sunshine, a far cry from my bleak childhood full of broken dreams. Brian nodded giving me permission. We couldn't shield her from the pain in the world forever.

"When you're blind, you can't see." I stated simply.

"Oh." Hazel tilted her head in thought. "I blind all the time." She announced blinking her eyes repeated. "See?"

I wanted to leave it there and have that be the end of it. However, now I imagined her walking around blinking her eyes and announcing that she was blind, not understanding what that meant. We couldn't have that.

"No, honey, imagine that when you close your eyes like that, you can't open them back up. Ever." I said very gently. "That's what it means to be blind. Your eyes don't work properly so it's like they're always closed even when they're wide open."

She stopped blinking and frowned. "When they open their eyes...they don't see?" Now Hazel seemed to understand although her face was riddled with confusion. "But you see me, Papa?"

"Of course I see you, baby." I crouched down and put my hand to her cheek, something my own mother used to do to let me know she was here. "You're such a precious sight, Hazel." I didn't want to cry in front of her even if they were good tears. Sometimes even after all these years of vision, it just hits you. I was looking at the face of my daughter, and she stared back at me. There was a time when this would have been in an impossible dream.

Then Hazel got bored and stepped out of my embrace. She walked up to Dr. Olaf who backed away from her like she was carrying the plague. "Olaf, are you fwiends with Ana and Elsa?"

"Err, my mother's name is Isabelle and my sister's name is Sara." I had to laugh at the terrified pleading look he gave to Brian. "Dr. May, help! How do I communicate with your germ filled child?"

"You were once a kid once yourself. Don't tell me such a brilliant mind can't handle a curious three year old." Brian laughed. He dragged Hazel back about six feet. "Sorry, Hazel, but before studying the thermodynamics of space Dr. Olaf was interested in microbiology and conducted research on how children spread diseases more than adults. So he has a bit of a fear of both kids and germs. But I'm sure Dr. Pikachu would appreciate one of your warm hugs."

"Okay." Hazel walked up to Dr. Pikachu, gave him a hug, and then walked away. Then she plopped down onto the ground by Brian's feet and began to play with the fibers in the carpet.

"Your daughter is um...very..." Dr. Pikachu stammered. "The word you're looking for is cute." I said.

"Well that's one way to put it." He said.

"It is quite fascinating that she's so interested in that carpet. There are tons of bacteria breeding in there, so it supports my theory." Dr. Olaf observed.

"Anyway, gentlemen, with the -1 that Roger so kindly pointed out to us, I believe we have our answer." Brian said. "So should we call it a day and meet again next week?"

"That sounds like a plan." Dr. Olaf said and Dr. Pikachu agreed.

"Well it was nice seeing you again, Dr. Pikachu, and great to meet you, Dr. Olaf." I tried to say with a straight face. "Maybe one day I'll get to meet your other colleague Dr. Shrek."

"I'm afraid you won't be seeing much of Dr. Shrek as of late. She's currently completing a mission at the international space station, so contact is limited." Dr. Pikachu explained.

I was making a joke, but I wasn't surprised there was a Dr. Shrek. "So not only does Dr. Shrek exist, but she's also a lady?" I tried to contain my giggles as Brian elbowed me.

"Yes. Dr. Fiona Shrek, one of the many pioneering women in modern science." Dr. Olaf stated.

"Perhaps one day when Hazel grows some more brain cells she will join the scientific community as well." Dr. Pikachu remarked.

"I don't wanna be the pwesident of Amewica!" Hazel blurted.

"Or perhaps not."Dr. Olaf said as he opened the door with a handkerchief. "Lovely to meet you, Roger. See you next week, Dr. May." 

"So did I solve space?" I asked with a cheeky grin as the two scientists left. Brian peered back at the chalkboard. "Something like that." He said, scratching his curly head in bewilderment. "You'll be credited when we publish our joint thesis. I can't believe we were going to erase the entire thing and start over before you showed up. How in the world could we not see that glaring error?" 

"Glad I could help you and your nerdy friends." I teased. 

"Don't you start on me, Rog. So, how was your day? Should I even bother asking if you managed to get through it without having to watch Frozen?" 

"Today we saw Fwozen 2." Hazel announced. "Then we went to the playground. Now I see color. The end!" 

"You see color?" Brian cried. "When did this happen? Why didn't you tell me?" 

"Don't get too excited. We're not sure who her soulmate is. She was playing with a bunch of kids on the playground. It could've been any of them." I said. 

"And you didn't ask if any of the kids could suddenly see in color?" Brian gasped. "Some people search years and years well past their youth to find their soulmates. Hazel might not get another chance." 

"I'm sure she will, but she shouldn't worry about that right now." I dismissed. "You wanna go home now, Hazel? It's been a busy day. You could use a nap." 

"Okay. But can we watch Fwozen after?" She requested. 

If I had to hear Let It Go one more time I'd start screaming, but Hazel was the one in control. She made the rules and Brian and I just followed them. "Whatever you want, baby girl." I agreed. There were much worse things than ending this day snuggled on the couch with my two favorite people with functioning eyes fully able to observe the ice queen on the TV screen. Vision was becoming a normal thing for me, but sometimes the novelty was so special that I just couldn't let it go. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked this one! I've enabled the Ask Me Anything thing on tumblr so stop by and say hi or offer a prompt or something. 
> 
> bed-beth-and-beyond39.tumblr.com


	8. A New Life is Born

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Goodbye isn't really a thing for our lovebirds.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So like everyone in the Queen fandom I'm feeling really bad about Brian right now even though he just wants us to congratulate him and not bring him down with our sympathy. Honestly I don't think Brian would appreciate all this Maylor content either (or Roger for the matter) LOL but these stories are FICTIONAL versions of the real life rock Gods and aren't meant to be taken seriously. Anyway, in light of Brian's recovery, I felt like writing this story set in the Blind AU that's both depressing and fluffy at the same time if that makes sense. I guess it's kind of bittersweet. So basically expect all the feels in this. Hopefully I did my math right and the timeline is correct. We established that the Blind AU roughly takes place in 2017.

_2092 (75 years later)..._

_Brian's POV_

This week had been rough. Usually the month of July was a festive highlight of our summers celebrating our anniversary followed by both of our birthdays. Now though celebrating didn't feel worthwhile or quite the same. I couldn't complain because I had lived a long fulfilling life, obtaining everything I could ever want and more. However, now that I was reaching the end of that life it was difficult to handle the tragedy of outliving many loved ones as I only grew older. 

Freddie went on for ten more years after losing Jim to lung cancer. He wasn't the same after Jim died and went into a long period of denial which eventually developed into onset dementia. He was already mentally gone by the time he died in his sleep in November at the age of 102. I liked to think that he was in a better place now reunited with Jim and the two would always be able to see in color. Losing Freddie broke all of our hearts, but John took it the worst. He was the next to pass away that winter at the age of 97. Veronica died hours later. The culprit for both of their deaths was old age, but I speculated the real reason was a broken heart.

This was my first birthday without my brothers, and Roger's first birthday without them since the year he met me which was over 75 years ago. I was now 102, the same age as Freddie when he reached his demise, and Roger had reached 100, which was a scary milestone.

All of our children and grandchildren were together with us, but the atmosphere was still depressing. At this age it was unspoken that we could very well be celebrating our last birthday here together. Call it intuition but I could tell Roger was sharing my same feelings of uneasiness despite saying nothing. He even refused to finish the last slice of birthday cake which was out of character for him.

"Alright, I'll wrap it up and put it into the fridge for you, Papa." Our daughter Hazel didn't comment on how quiet and aloof Roger was acting as she cleared the table for us. "You can have it later if you'd like." She said.

"Mhm." Roger nodded slightly showing no real interest in the treat. I reached across the table and squeezed his hand. He looked to me just giving me a tired smile.

"Granddaddy, Grandpapa, can I play the piano?" Our great grandson asked eagerly. He had inherited the musical gene. Under any other circumstance I would say go ahead and cheer him on, but Freddie had been the last person to play the piano in our living room. We hadn't touched it since his death and it was collecting dust.

"You can play it if you want." Roger surprised me with his answer. "Just be mindful. That piano's pretty old. Her better days are behind her."

I knew Roger wasn't talking about the piano. "She's seen it all, hasn't she? But she's still here." I reminded him as if to silently say _"we're still here"._ I thought I saw a tear stream down Roger's cheek, but my old mind could be playing on tricks on me.

Later that night, I got into my bed trying and failing to find a comfortable position and turned on the telly to distract myself. A shampoo commercial reminded me of my thinning hair. It was still there, but completely white and the curls were certainly not as luscious as they once had been. Roger soon stumbled into bed next to me. I needed a walker to get around, but Roger could still rely on his own wobbly two feet. "You awake, Bri?" He asked.

"Yeah I'm awake." I replied. "Did you have a good birthday, my little centenarian?"

"Please don't call me that. It makes me feel old." He yawned and cuddled next to me, grunting slightly as he moved. I kissed his shoulders trying to ease his joint pain.

"You won't leave me, right Brimi?" Roger asked in a small voice. After all these years, he still gets insecure from time to time. Only this time, he might have good reason to worry.

"It's a little late for that, babe. We just had our 75th anniversary if my memory's correct." I joked.

"I didn't mean it like that." He sighed.

"I know what you meant, Rog." I said. Our two year age difference was never a problem until recently. I wasn't sure how to tell Roger that he might have to cope with me dying first. It wasn't a reality either of us wanted to discuss.

"It was nice seeing the kids again." I changed the subject. "The little ones are getting so big. Soon we'll be great great grandparents."

"Yeah. We raised a great family together, didn't we?" Roger reflected."I'm glad I got to watch the kids grow over the years." Then he went quiet, and I assumed he had fallen asleep. Right as I shut my eyes and was about to drift off myself, I felt a nudge.

"Bri? Are you awake?"

"I am now." I opened my eyes. "What's the matter?"

"N-Nothing...I just...It's nothing." Roger stammered. "Go back to sleep."

"Clearly it's something." I urged. "You've been so quiet all day and you barely even cracked a smile at your own party."

"Well...I've um...I've been doing some reading with what's left of my sight anyway. I'm practically blind again. A-And...this spiritual book I picked up at the library the other day..." Roger looked down at the duvet hesitantly like he was lost in thought.

"Since when do you know how to read?" I joked. "And I thought you didn't believe in religion. Who are you and what have you done with Roger May?"

"Will you bloody listen to me, you twat! I'm trying to tell you something. This is gonna sound stupid, but um...some people when they meet their soulmate they get glimpses into another life. According to this dumb book anyway. I doubt it means anything." Roger said defensively.

"Glimpses into another life?" I questioned. "Like reincarnation?"

"Yeah." He whispered. "I want it to be true. That way I don't have to be scared...when our time finally comes." Roger tiptoed around our the concept of our deaths. "But I'm not sure if you'll be the same you and I'll be the same me."

"We might not be the same, but we'll meet again." I theorized. "That is very comforting. Thanks, Rog." I did need that closure when there were so many unknowns about the next phase of our lives. Was there something more? Who knows?

"Maybe in the next life we'll make that hypothetical rock band idea a reality." Roger gazed up into the distance. "Me, you, Fred, Deaky...we'll all be together rocking out at Wembley Stadium, playing to a screaming crowd at its fullest capacity."

Forming a rock band had always been a dream of ours, but life and practical matters got in the way. Deaky was too shy, Freddie claimed he also had stage freight, and all of us had careers outside of music. I devoted my life fully to science and animal activism and ended up winning both a Nobel prize in physics and a Nobel peace prize. No regrets there, but I often had that "what if..." question bogging around in my head from time to time. What would it be like to trade in some of those experiences for being up on stage playing the Red Special to hundreds of adoring fans?

"I'll see you in hell, Brian." Roger smirked, still well quipped with his dark humor despite his age. "Or you'll kiss me first and then I'll see you."

"You think you'll be blind again on the other side?" I wondered. That was a depressing notion. Maybe it was just shitty luck in this life and in the next he wouldn't have to face such a tragic setback.

"Without you I'll be blind no matter what, but I'll find you again. I promise I'll find you again." Roger cooed, shutting his eyes.

"Happy birthday, Roggie." I murmured. I worried when I planted a soft kiss on his lips and he didn't respond. I was too tired to try to wake him back up so I fell asleep next to him. Neither of us woke up the next morning.

***

_2014 (another dimension)..._

_Roger's POV_

I sang along with the radio as I felt for the clothes in the box, folded them, and put them onto the shelves.

_"Woke up, fell out of bed_

_Dragged a comb across my head_

_Found my way downstairs and drank a cup_

_And looking up I noticed I was late_

_Found my coat and grabbed my hat_

_Made the bus in seconds flat_

_Found my way upstairs and had a smoke_

_And somebody spoke and I--"_

"--HEY! What's the matter with you, boy? I've been standing here for a good 39 seconds waving at you, but you're acting like you don't see me. What does it take to get some service around here?" Ahh, a male, I recognized from the voice, but a Karen nonetheless. Next to me, Ringo Starr--the service dog, not the human whose music was on the radio right now--growled. I patted his furry head, assuring him I could handle this. My father yelled at me in a much more threatening manner than this, so it was more or less a typical Tuesday. _'A Day in the Life, alright.'_ I thought to myself as being disrespected was nothing new to me.

"I'm sorry. I couldn't see you. How can I help?" I said, managing to smile graciously. I was reminded of what Freddie once told me. _'I wish you could see your smile, darling. It melts hearts. You need to use it to flatter our customers and we'll be selling clothes right and left.'_

"How could you not see me when I'm standing right in front of you?" The man cried. I heard someone else approach. "What seems to be the problem here?" Freddie asked before things could escalate any further.

"Your employee is ignoring me, a paying customer." The man announced. I rolled my useless eyes. "I wasn't ignoring you, I just couldn't see you cause I'm blind, you idiot!"

"Excuse me? What did you just call me?" He exclaimed.

"He called you an idiot, and rightfully so." Freddie said. "Nobody disrespects my best friend who is doing great work here that you just don't seem to recognize. We don't have to serve you if you're going to be rude. Now kindly get out."

"You just lost a patron!" The man declared and I heard his stomping footsteps that seemed more forceful than usual and then the slamming of the door.

"Well that's the third customer I lost this month." I sighed. "Freddie, I appreciate you hiring me and all, but I don't think that--"

"--Don't finish that sentence, darling." He cut me off. "You've got this! I couldn't keep this stall up and running with you, and I refuse to hire a replacement. After all, how awkward would it be if I fired you when we live together?"

Living on my own with my condition was impossible, but I knew that I had to leave home and get as far away from my parents as possible. It seemed Freddie Bulsara had the same intentions even though his family life was much better than mine to say the least. I tried to get a job loading luggages at an airport while keeping my blindness a secret. I only lasted a day before I was fired on the spot for leaving several bags behind and lying about my disability. That was where I had met Freddie. He first caught my attention when he sang like an angel as he worked making the job seem less mundane. Then later as I was getting fired, Freddie stopped by to tell the boss he was quitting. He planned to open up a stall in Kensington Market and make money that way instead. That's how I found myself here at my new job that I didn't feel I deserved.

I shook my head. "It's just not working out. I'm bad for business."

"How is having an attractive boy and his cute dog named after a Beatle hanging around the stall bad for business? People are drawn to you, Roger, as they should be, and then they come flocking in. You just hold your head up high and keep doing your best. That's all you can do, dear. I think it's great for business personally. Your charming smile goes a long way."

"So I've been told." I stated flatly. "But it can only get me so far. You're gonna have to face reality eventually, Fred. I'm incapable. Just the other day that bastard would've scammed us by giving me a $1 bill instead of a $50. I would've just stood by and let it happen if you hadn't been here to see it go down. There was no way for me to know the difference."

"That's why we agreed that I'd be the one who works with money, right?" Freddie reminded me. "Until our credit card machine is up and running that is. I bet you can figure out how to use that blasted thing once it's finally working properly."

"But what about last week when I accidentally sold your jacket? You were furious at me and you had good reason to be. You should have just fired me right then and there."

"Oh that?" Freddie downplayed. "I forgot already. I didn't even like that jacket. It was so last season."

"You said it was your favorite jacket and you would never ever forgive me." I recalled.

He hesitated before replying. "We all say things we later regret, darling. It's fair to say that I overreacted. No harm done."

"But I--"

"--Ohh. I love this song!" Freddie chirped as the familiar iconic rhythm of _I Saw Her Standing There_ began to play.He began to sing along with Paul McCartney. "Sing it with me, darling!" I loved this song too and I couldn't resist.

_"...Well, she looked at me_

_And I, I could see_   
_That before too long_   
_I'd fall in love with her_   
_She wouldn't dance with another_   
_Ooh, when I saw her standing there..."_

"There's that smile." Freddie proclaimed. "I knew it was a good idea to install the radio speakers and blast a Beatles playlist."

" _Your_ idea?" I cried. "It was my idea! You wanted to play opera. As if that would attract customers."

"Okay you were the one who chose The Beatles," he admitted, "but playing music in the stall was my idea. So I win!"

"Whatever." I turned around to get back to folding clothes. Only I forgot that the box was right by my feet. I tripped over it, and grasped onto what I assumed was the wall trying to break the fall. I ended up on my ass and I had managed to drag something down from the wall with me. "Fuck!" I wasn't hurt or anything, but this just solidified how worthless I was. "Maybe Mom was right and I'm better off at home having her take care of me."

"Oh no! Please don't say that, darling. Don't ever say that! You know you're better than that." Freddie helped me back up onto my feet, and I examined the flat object in my hand that I had accidentally pulled down from the wall. "What is this? Some kind of poster? I didn't know we decorated with posters."

"That's just an advertisement." Freddie explained. "My friend Tim from uni stopped by earlier and I let him put it up. He's starting a band. They're looking for a drummer. I'm no good for that, but maybe you'd be interested. Tim's new guitarist is really cute too and seems like a friendly bloke. They don't need me because Tim is doing lead vocals in addition to bass, but that shouldn't stop you from auditioning."

I loved music and always wanted to join a rock band, but as good as I was on the drums, my disability would just get in the way. "Why bother? They'd never take on a blind drummer when there are plenty of other candidates who can see perfectly well."

"Not with that attitude, dear." Freddie said. "Why don't I give you the number written on the flyer and you can call them and schedule an audition? It wouldn't hurt to try. Best case scenario, they let you in, you make it big and get a record deal. Worse thing that could happen is they tell you no, but that doesn't really change anything. You should do it."

"You think they'll hold it against me that I can't read music?" I asked skeptically.

"You know who else can't read music? The Beatles. All four of them. It worked out fine for them." Freddie exclaimed. "Now do you want me to give you the number or do I have to call for you because I am going to make this happen. I have a good feeling about this."

"I think I need to sleep on it." I decided.

I knew something was wrong when Freddie went quiet. Seconds later I heard him say "Hi Brian. It's Freddie. Guess what? I found you a drummer!"

Son of a bitch! I charged toward the sound of his voice trying to knock the phone out of his hand. "Keith Moon, Mitch Mitchell and Ginger Baker? Yeah I think he can do--HEY!" Success! I bumped into Freddie making him drop the phone.

"What the hell, Roger? I'm trying to do you a favor." Freddie shouted. The phone was shoved into my hands. "Now here, work out the details with Brian yourself."

"W-What?" I stared down at my hands like I would suddenly be able to see the sleek metallic device in my hands.

"It's not very nice to leave him on hold. Go on. Put it up to your ear and speak to him." Freddie prompted.

I guess Freddie was giving me no choice. Reluctantly, I brought the phone to my ear. "H-Hello?" I asked.

"Hello." A soft, smooth voice replied. It sounded so...familiar. I shrieked and dropped the phone again as an image broke through the darkness and flashed before my eyes. It was just a split second so there was no way I could make out what I was looking at, but one word someone came to the forefront of my mind: hazel. Then in that second that was quicker than the snap of a finger, I was back to my normal nothingness.

"Rog?" There was concern in Freddie's voice. "Are you alright, darling?"

"I-I...I _saw_ something!" I choked. What the hell was that beautiful thing that had danced before my eyes for the briefest moment in time? I had no words to describe it other than the one. Hazel. That was a color right?

"I'm sorry about that, Brian" I assumed Freddie was speaking to the phone again. "Roger is having a moment. We'll have to call you ba--Wait...what? Um...well it seems both of you had some sort of vision. It could mean anything. Do you still want Roger to audition for you?...Yes, tomorrow works well...He'll be there...Thank you, Brian."

I was shaking, still trying to wrap my head around my experience. My eyes had been open, and there was...a thing I could see. The darkness wasn't there anymore. I knew it was a meaningless illusion, but I clung to it because it was all I ever wanted.

"I'm not sure what just happened, but it could be a sign." Freddie said. "What exactly did you see?"

"I-It was..." I struggled to find descriptive words. Something other than hazel because that wasn't helpful. "Tall? Um...There was this...fluff coming out of the top of it...It was absolutely beautiful."

"You saw something tall and fluffy?" Freddie sounded bewildered. "Oh, darling, you're crying. Why are you crying?"

"I saw something for the first time in eighteen years. I-I think I'm allowed to cry." I sniffled. What did this mean? I feared it was too good be to true, but could I be getting my sight back after all this time?

"I think this is all meant to be." Freddie said. "Brian claims he saw something in color and then he blinked and it was gone. Do you know what this could mean? What if you two are soulmates?"

Hazel was a color. How would I know that? Why would the word which I had no association with suddenly pop into my mind? "But I thought that kind of thing only happens when we touch?" I pondered. No, I didn't want to speculate about something that was impossible. "I need to schedule an appointment with my eye doctor. Maybe something's happening with my senses and...and..." I was too afraid to finish that sentence out loud in case I'd jinx myself. All these years longing to see the world and I was so fucking close.

"You can do that but I think your audition tomorrow is more important. Brian will be there. Roger, this could be fate." Freddie urged.

I wouldn't have been so willing to agree, but that picture still lingered in the back of my mind. If there was any way to bring it back, I'd do it. So the audition was now on the top of my to-do list.

***

_Brian's POV_

"I told you Tim, I don't know what happened." I murmured as I tuned my guitar still unable to get that hauntingly beautiful image out of my head. "One moment I was talking to Freddie on the phone and then the next thing I know..."

_Large blue eyes clear as the sky staring up at me beneath fluttering lashes. I saw him in full color but the blue appeared the most evident. He was too perfect for words, like a porcelain doll with flowing blonde locks and soft pink lips. Tears swirled down the angel's checks. "I see you." He whispered._

"...And he spoke in the same familiar voice that said hello on the phone. His voice...it was unique. Raspy, but high...absolutely beautiful."

"So you think you've found your soulmate?" Tim asked bluntly.

"Dunno." That was a worthy consideration but it didn't make a lot of sense. You have to touch your soulmate to see color, not just hear them speak. Why would the sound of Roger's voice bring forward such a bold and bright image? "Maybe I'm going slightly mad."

"You know I've heard that if you've already met your soulmate in a past life and you encounter each other again you'll trigger some old memories from your other life or something like that. I used to think it was all bullshit, but that might be what you're experiencing now." Tim reasoned.

"So you believe this vision could be a memory from another life?" I wasn't one to delve into the supernatural, but this insane explanation for my conundrum almost seemed logical.

"Maybe. Look, all I know is that your alleged soulmate is half an hour late and I'm hungry." Tim said. "If he doesn't get here in the next five minutes, I say we call it a night. There's a really good Thai restaurant not too far from here if you wanna--"

As if on cue, the doors to the band room opened and a boy stumbled in following behind his leashed brown labrador. I was mesmerized by those same eyes from my fleeting apparition. The only difference was that they were colorless instead of blue. This was no doubt the same angelic blonde that I had seen. I knew it for sure when he spoke. "Sorry if I'm a little late. Freddie can't drive, so I had to take a train here and I got lost." I barely took in his words as I was too busy admiring how cute he was and how much he resembled my bizarre vision.

"You're blind?" Tim pulled me out of my thoughts.

"Um I hope that's not a problem." Roger sounded so deflated, but there was a slight gleam of confidence in those gorgeous eyes that stared blankly ahead. "I'm still a good drummer. I can play in the styles of Keith Moon, Mitch Mitchell and Ginger Baker just like you asked in the ad."

"Alright, if you're good we won't hold it against you." Tim agreed. "Doesn't really make a difference so long as you can maintain a rhythm. Will it be a problem for you, Bri?"

"Problem?" I echoed, trying to keep from drooling as I stared at Roger. "I don't see the faintest trace of any problems here."

His head turned in my direction and my heart skipped a beat. "Your voice is very familiar. Have we met before?"

Besides my inexplainable hallucination, I knew Roger from somewhere else. I had to. Only my mind was drawing a blank. "I would remember meeting you." I said.

"Y-Yeah I think I would remember meeting you as well." He replied. "We um sort of talked on the phone yesterday, didn't we? I'm Roger." He stuck out his hand, having no clue that we weren't close enough to shake his hand.

"I'm Brian and this is Tim." By the time I crossed the room to where Roger was standing he had already put his hand down and bit down on his lip self consciously. "Um, I should probably just get started on the drums. You have a set here, right?"

"You're really blind." Tim blurted. "Drum kit is right behind us. Best of luck."

"Be nice!" I hissed to him as Roger staggered to the drum kit reaching out awkwardly with his hand until he touched the cymbal. "Ah! Here it is." From there it seemed easier for Roger to adjust himself. I watched with fascination as he got himself settled and retrieved the drumsticks. I never saw someone look so determined with his brows furrowed and his pretty lips scrunched in a slight frown. Roger struck his snare, but then he stopped. "Did you tune these drums?"

"What?" I didn't have time to question it because Roger began to fiddle around with the drums in a way I had never seen before. I didn't even know that you could tune drums, let alone that there was a proper method. Roger was able to perform the task in complete darkness which amazed me. "Much better." He approved of his adjustments. "1,2,3..." Roger slammed on the drums so effortlessly creating a beat like it was second nature. Tim's jaw dropped and I assumed I looked just as delighted and stunned. Where was this energetic ball of talent hiding? Roger was absolutely brilliant! I wanted nothing more than to take him into my arms and kiss him.

"So how'd I do?" Roger stared blankly ahead.

"I say you're in." Tim exclaimed. "You agree, Brian?"

 _'I say I'm in love.'_ I thought. "We're lucky to have you, Roger. Welcome to Smile!"

"Really?" Roger gasped. "I-I...Thank you!" He enthusiastically shot up from his seat, screaming with his joy. It was so pure and so adorable and I could feel myself swooning. Before I could refrain myself, I ran to him and gave him a hug. "You've earned this, Roggie!"

Then I suddenly found myself staring back at ocean blue eyes.Oh my God! Color! I saw in color! Everything from Roger's sandy blonde hair to my red guitar was now living in a spectrum of rainbow.

"Roger, we're soulmates!" I gasped.

"Wow! Congrats! I should leave you two alone." Tim was hardly a concern of mine right now. I only saw Roger.

My soulmate just stared back at my dumbfounded as if he had gone into shock. Then those pretty blue eyes were shut tightly. With a deep breath, he opened them again. Next came the tears and the screams, but the good kind. Roger repeatedly blinked as I waited with held breath unable to fathom what was going through his head. He was seeing the world for the very first time. Yet somehow this didn't feel like the first time this was happening. It was almost like I had fallen for him before in a dream.

Still not saying a word, Roger touched my face in curiosity. "T-This...This is you?" He asked. "You're more beautiful than the first time I saw you in a hallucination. You're still so tall and fluffy."

I smiled warmly down at him feeling overwhelmed by all of this. "You're so small and soft." I contrasted. "I love you." We didn't know each other, but I could feel something connecting us like magnets. This deja vu created such intense feelings that had to have been built up over years and years for an otherwise perfect stranger.

"Ow!" In exploring my face with his fingers Roger had poked my eye. "Sorry. Sorry. That's an eye. I wasn't sure what it was...I just called it hazel before." Roger continued to caress my face, completely lost in his own little world and I became hypnotized by his gentle touch. Then his fingers came upon my lips. "I know what these are." Roger said. He removed his hand from my mouth and instead put his own lips up against mine. A kiss I would know from anywhere, it was my Roggie. The sensation of our mouths together was buried deep in the recesses of my mind like a known fun fact.

"Mmm. Brimi I love you." Roger cooed as he pulled away. "I'm so glad and I found you."

"I'm lucky I found you." I cooed. 

"And I see you." Roger whispered again, still crying. "I see you." He repeated. 

Neither of us could let each other go in that moment, so we remained in a teary embrace. Even though it was an introduction, it somehow felt like a reunion. All I knew was that my life would never be the same now that I had found my soulmate. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well this was certainly different. I hope you liked it. I'm not sure how many times I can rewrite a version of blind!Roger seeing Brian for the first time, but here you go. For the record, in this new timeline Queen would become a thing just like old man Roger predicted.


	9. Threat Level AY-OH!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 5 times Freddie issued a threat level ay-oh and 1 time he didn't have to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's some chaotic Freddie fluff to take the focus off of Maylor. I've never written in Freddie's POV in the Blind AU, so this should be fun. So without any further ado here's the introduction of Azalea Daisy Mercury and 5 times Freddie issued a threat level ay-oh and 1 time he didn't have to. SPOILERS: most of them have to do with cats!

**1.**

"Holy shit!" I exhaled, calming down from my high. Jim collapsed on top of my, cooing something inaudibly. "Love you, Fred." He moaned before it all subsided to snores.

I gasped. "Really, darling. I'm so vanilla that you fall asleep on me in the middle of sex! How dare you!" As best as I could I gave Jim a small nudge with my elbow, but he was fast asleep. "Jim, sweetheart, you've gotta wake up." I tugged at the handcuffs. Fuck! "Jim, this isn't funny! Wake up!"

"W-What?" Jim opened his eyes and of course saw me still cuffed to the bed and completely naked after a night full of kinky sex.

"Oh right." Jim reached over to the bedside table where the key should have been. Or at least that was where we left it before we began. Why was it missing? "Fuck!"

"Um..." Jim looked around. "Where could it have gone? You saw me put it down right here." He went down on the floor to search for it.

"Ohhh." I chirped watching my husband down on all fours. "Is this a new game, darling? Because I'm enjoying this view." 

"No, I-I...I think the key is lost." Jim sounded mortified, but I was too busy staring at his bum to care that I was trapped. "I'm sorry, Freddie. But don't worry. I'll find it. Or I'll use a paper clip or a pin or something."

When Jim stood up, the mess I was in finally clicked. I could be stuck here forever. Oh no! How could this have happened? 

"Worst birthday ever!" I cried as I struggled to break free. This was a tricky situation and I only had myself to blame. Jim only agreed to handcuffing me to the bed because it was my birthday. The sex was spectacular, but in hindsight this probably wasn't my brightest idea. As Jim continued to search for the lost key profusely apologizing to me in the process, I realized there was only one thing left to do.

"Hey Siri, text to Queen Group Chat: Threat Level AY-OH!"

_'Sorry I couldn't find Queer Group Chat in your contacts.'_

Of course. Why do robots always have to taunt me? "Fuck you Siri, you homophobic bitch!"

_'Calling Mary Austin.'_

"What? No! That is not what I said!" I cried.

_'Hi, this is Mary. Leave a message! Beep!'_

"FUCK!" I shouted. Then I realized that Mary would receive this message. Oh well. She'd understand.

"I found the key!" Jim announced. He pointed to Delilah who was holding it between her paws. He approached her carefully, but she hissed at him and guarded the key more protectively. "Delilah, no that's not a toy!" I told the cat. "Let Jim have it so he can unlock me."

_'Meow.'_

"Don't take that tone with me, young lady. This is serious, darling. We're dealing with a threat level ay-oh here."

_'Meow.'_

Damn it! "Okay I forgive you. You're too cute for me to be mad at you. Now give us the key back please."

Taking full advantage of her adorableness, Delilah swallowed the key and licked her lips. She stared up at me innocently the whole time.

"Jim, dear, text out a threat level ay-oh to the group chat and then call the vet ASAP." I ordered.

***

Delilah coughed up the key lodged in a hairball while we were in the waiting room at the vet. "Oh thank god!" I exclaimed and gave the cat a big hug. She squirmed against me, but eventually gave in and purred.

"I'm glad she's okay and the bobby pin actually worked to set you free." Jim said. After such passionate birthday sex, I was surprised how timid Jim was when he blushed and gave me a small kiss. He got like this in public from time to time and I found it so sweet. "Happy birthday, Freddie. I'm sorry it got ruined."

"You didn't ruin anything, my love." I assured him. "In fact I don't think I'll ever be forgetting this birthday. That's for sure."

Just then, Brian, Roger, and Deaky rushed into the waiting room. Well it certainly took them long enough to respond to threat level ay-oh. 

"Freddie, what's happened? Are you okay? Is Delilah okay?" Brian cried. 

"Funny story, my darlings. Jim and I were fu--"

"--Delilah swallowed a key." Jim blurted. His blush spoke volumes. "But she um just coughed it back up, so no need to panic."

"Ohhh. Is it a car key?" Roger peered down at the regurgitated key. "Maybe it's a key to buried treasure." Deaky pondered. 

"Actually," I said, "it's a key to a pair of handc--"

"--Garden Lodge. It's a spare key to Garden Lodge. No need to be concerned, boys. Nothing of interest really happened." Jim stammered. He pet Delilah who purred, happily keeping our dirty little secret.

**2.**

"Oh why did this have to happen?" I shook my head watching in distress as the cats writhed and scratched. Oscar jumped out of the bathtub, shaking his fur and getting me all wet. He hissed as I tried to pick him up and put him back in the tub. "I know, darling, I know. But the vet said you all need to have a bath with special flea shampoo if you want the problem to go away." I winced when he scratched me retaliation. 

"Freddie, your brothers are here!" Jim announced as he dried Lily's fluffy fur with a soft towel. I looked down at Oscar. "Stay in the tub, dear." I told him sternly.

Brian and Roger showed themselves inside followed by Deaky who was bouncing Baby Robert in his arms. "We got your text. Is everything alright?"Brian asked. 

"No! Everything is most certainly not alright. That's why I sent a threat level ay-oh.My cats have fleas! Can you believe it? All of my poor babies are itchy and--Oscar! I told you to stay in the tub!" I picked the cat up and put him back. "We've been trying to bathe them with this special shampoo the vet gave us. He said it'll kill those goddamn fleas without hurting my precious kitties."

"No!" Brian cried. "There's got to be a more humane way to deal with the problem." He took the shampoo bottle and read the ingredients. 

"You're taking the fleas' side? I should have known. You fucking traitor." I sighed, yanking the shampoo bottle back from him and lathering Oscar's orange fur. "Well don't just stand there, darlings. Make yourselves useful. We've got cats to care for, help us bathe them." 

"Brian, you hold Robert since you're opposed to hurting the fleas." John offered and then went to help me. Roger assisted Jim. 

I sang with Deaky as we scrubbed, getting Oscar nice and bubbly. _"Mama I'm gonna be your slave..." "...All day long!"_ Getting all of the cats squeaky clean and on their way to being flea-free did in fact take all day long. 

**3.**

"Come on, darling, do it again, pllllleeeaaassseeee." I begged as sweet angelic Azalea stared up at me cluelessly with her wide dark eyes. 

"She'll talk again when she feels like it. We can't pressure her." Jim said. 

"You're just jealous because her first word wasn't Dada." I teased. "Well it wasn't Papa either." He reminded me. 

Phoebe walked by, a few of the cats trailing him. "Did she say it again?" He asked eagerly. I shook my head. "No such luck. Stubborn little thing refuses to speak." 

"Maybe she'll say it again after she's eaten. Joe's almost finished straining the peas and carrots for her. Brain food will help her concentrate on talking." He said optimistically.

"Just give her some time." Jim agreed. 

"It's not fair. Baby Robert is already learning how to talk. Why can't our little Azalea?" I sighed. 

Speaking of Robert, Deaky soon arrived with my favorite (and only) nephew likely in response to my threat level ay-oh text. Robert joined Azalea in the playpen. "Ahh, she's getting bigger." John smiled. "I hope the text has nothing to do with her."

Before I could answer, Roger burst into the room. Brian walked in with less urgency soon after. Roger rushed over to the playpen and picked up Azalea. "You're alright, sweetheart. I've got you. You're gonna be okay." There were tears in his eyes. What was going on?

"Darling, you don't have to be so frantic. It's just a minor threat, but I still felt the need to alert you."

"Minor." Roger let out a sigh of relief. "She's gonna be okay? I-I didn't jinx her." 

Poor Roger, still so insecure from his haunted childhood. I felt bad for him, but he had to move forward. "I can assure you my daughter is healthy as a cat." I confirmed. 

"The expression is healthy as a horse." Brian corrected. 

"I know what I said." I went on. "Anyway I sent the message because she said her first word."

"Oh wow! That's wonderful!" Deaky gasped. 

"How is that a threat level ay-oh?" Roger frowned. "Damn it, Freddie! You had me freaking out. God forbid something actually bad happened."

"It's only a threat level ay-oh because her first word wasn't Papa." I clarified. 

"Or Dada." Jim added. 

"Then what was it?" Roger asked. 

"It was--"

"--Kitty!" Azalea squeaked as Delilah walked by the play pen. 

I beamed. "That's my girl! She said it again!"

We all applauded Azalea as she obliviously went back to playing with her blocks alongside Robert. Hopefully she would say kitty again soon.

**4.**

"Remember last year on my birthday when you wanted to give me a break and offered to cook for me?" Joe asked. 

"Yeah." I frowned. Why would he reminded me of that?

"We all ended up sick the next day with food poisoning." He laughed.

"I don't know what that has to do with this." I said somewhat indignantly. My experiment in the kitchen hadn't ended well, but this was different. Just because I was ill equipped at cooking didn't mean I was inept in other household chores. "I think Phoebe will appreciate this day off." I insisted. "How hard can it be to answer the phone and tidy up the house?"

"I'm not even taking the day off." Phoebe laughed. "I'm having more fun staying here and watching you."

"Be nice, you two. Fred's trying to repay you for all you do for us." Jim defended me. 

"We know you appreciate us." Phoebe said. "But it's going to be a good day." 

"Papa! Daddy!" Azalea skipped into the room cupping a clump of dirt in her hands. "Look! I found a snail outside!" 

Oh I loved seeing my daughter happy even though the snail was kind of slimy and disgusting. "Great find, love!" Jim applauded. "It has a pretty shell." I admired, looking closer. Then I noticed that her cute white sundress was covered in soil. "Oh no, darling. Your dress got all dirty."

"It'll have to go into the laundry." Phoebe said with a sly grin. He was right. I was sure I could figure out how to use the washing machine. So as soon as Azalea changed, I put the dress in with some other dirty laundry. Jim, Phoebe, and Joe all watched me. Joe even offered to pop some popcorn. I ignored them and loaded in the detergent and turned on the machine. Simple enough. I don't see how I could have messed that up.

About 39 minutes later I returned. The trio stifled their snickers as I pulled out Azalea's white dress. Only it wasn't white anymore. There were splotches of pink all over it. "What the hell?" I cried. "What did I do wrong?" 

"You put it in with her pink socks." Phoebe explained. "You're supposed to separate the colors. But it's alright. People who haven't met their soulmate make that mistake all the time."

"But I'm not colorblind and I still fucked up." I sighed. "I wouldn't care if it were my clothes--Okay I would throw a huge tantrum because I love my clothes, but this is is still worse because it's my darling Azalea's dress and I just want her to be happy. How can she be happy when I ruined her pretty dress? Oh I'm a failure." 

I took my phone out of my pocket and sent out a text into the group-chat. _Threat Level Ay-Oh._ This was a true fashion emergency and shouldn't be taken lightly. 

"It's alright, Freddie. Here, I'll take care of the dryer for you." Phoebe offered, delivering the wet clothes over into the adjacent machine. 

Azalea couldn't see in color because she hadn't met her soulmate, but she could still make out the splotches. I felt so ashamed returning the dress to her. "Oooh. Yay! Polka dots. I love it! Thanks Papa. You made the dress even better!" She surprised me with a hug. Huh. Maybe I wasn't so incompetent after all. 

**5.**

I loved the mall. It was one of my favorite places in the world. I could spend hours shopping and trying on all the latest fashions. Unfortunately, Azalea didn't share my same passions. "These slacks are itchy, Papa." She complained. "Can we go home? I don't like it here!" 

"But look how well they fit you, and they're glittery. You'll be envy of all the fourth graders. Don't you like them?"

"I just told you they're itchy." She cried and shimmied her way out of them, not caring that the dressing room curtain was open. "Do I have to try on anymore stuff?"

I sighed. "Just try on this shirt please, darling." I presented her with what I picked out for her. "Don't you think it's cute?"

"Do I have to try it on?" Azalea huffed. 

"I'll buy you a pretzel." I bribed. 

"Okay." She took the shirt from me and closed the curtain to try it on. While she was changing, I looked over at Hazel in the shoe aisle who was picking out different shoes she wanted to try on. Roger didn't even have to prompt her. She plucked models right off the shelf and asked him to find her size. Why couldn't Azalea take an interest like that? I gladly shopped for my daughter, but I wanted her to be engaged in her own style otherwise I felt like I'd just be forcing her to wear things she didn't want. Only when I asked her what she liked she said she didn't care. I never knew shopping could be frustrating. 

"Uncle Fweddie, look at these!" Hazel waddled over in miniature high heels looking adorable. She nearly tripped. Roger grinned. "You're gonna be the talk of the town in those!" He held up a tiny pair of red clogs. "Your Daddy will want you to try these on next, but we'll tell him they're out of stock because he has horrible taste."

"Yeah, they're ugly." Hazel agreed sticking out her tongue. 

"He has horrible taste but he married you." I mocked. 

"Fuck you Fred." Roger said, not caring that his daughter was within earshot. "Where's Azalea? You wanna go get pretzels after this?" 

"Yay pwetzels!" Hazel proclaimed. 

I turned back to the dressing room only the curtain was now wide open. "Azalea?" I called. I peered into the room and found it completely empty. Oh my God! "AZALEA?" Where was she? How could she just disappear like that? Could somebody have taken her? My baby! NO! This couldn't be happening! What would I tell Jim?

"MEGA THREAT LEVEL AY-OH!" I screamed. 

"She couldn't have gotten far." Roger cried. "HEY! HAS ANYBODY SEEN A LITTLE GIRL RUN OUT OF THAT DRESSING ROOM?" 

"Short blondish hair?" Someone asked. "Saw her heading to the pet shop."

The pet shop! My heart was racing and I saw tunnel vision. I dropped the pair of slacks I was holding and bolted out of the store and across the way into the pet shop screaming for Azalea. Several dogs started barking at me and other animals made startled noises as well, but I didn't care. 

Then I found my baby looking at a bird. I didn't hesitate I threw my arms around her and subsided into sobs. "Azalea, my love, don't you ever run off like that again! I-I thought you had been snatched. I don't want to lose you." I showered her face in kisses. "Promise you'll never do that again, darling. You scared me."

"I wanted to see the kittens but then I saw this pretty bird." She pointed to the colorful parrot who was chirping a tune. Absolutely beautiful, but right now I was distracted. 

"Azalea, you listen to me, dear. You can't run away like t-t-tha-- _Achoo!_ " I sniffled and continued. "If you wanna go somewhere, let me now, so I don't have to worry about where you are. Jim and I told you about stranger dangers. We don't want anyone to hurt y-y- _Achoo!_ "

"Is everything okay over here?" The manager intervened. 

"Y-Yes. _Achoo!"_ I rubbed my watery eyes. "S-Sorry."

He looked at the bird. "Oh yes allergies to parrots are quite common. You have my sympathies. But you must admit even if he makes you sneeze, this Persian popinjay is a beauty, such a lovely songbird." 

"Oh wow! He's Persian like you Papa! And he sings too! Can we keep him! Please please please!" 

We all knew my answer. I loved my daughter too much. 

***

The cats eyed Mr. Fahrenheit suspiciously as he perched on Azalea's shoulder. Hazel giggled as she fed the new bird a cracker. 

"Make sure that cracker is broken into little pieces, honey." Brian advised.

"I still can't believe you actually bought her that bird." Roger laughed and his laughter only got louder when I sneezed again. 

Eventually I was able to catch my breath. By now the cracker was consumed and Mr. Fahrenheit began to whistle a few high notes. Roger naturally mimicked the parrot and not the other way around. The next thing I knew two were going back and forth crooning high notes. Hopefully this wouldn't end like that scene in Shrek.

"AY-OH!" I intervened as best I could despite the allergies. 

"Ay-Oh!" The bird chirped in response. 

"Fuck you. I still like cats better."

**+1.**

"Remember, my love, it's only an hour drive home." I said. 

"I know Papa. You said that 39 times already. I'll be fine." Azalea assured me. She planted a kiss on my cheek before setting her suitcase down.

"I expect you to visit on the weekends." I told her. 

"Mhm. It's getting late. You and Dad should get going soon." She unzipped her suitcase and frowned when she spotted the kitten plushie. "Kitty-Meowy? How'd you get in here?"

"I thought you'd be lonely." I said. That did it, Azalea looked back at me with tears sparkling in big brown eyes. She put the toy down and ran up to me and Jim encircling us in a group hug. "I'm going to miss you!"

"We're going to miss you, too." I nearly wailed. 

"Oi! It's university. The girl's not going off to war." Jim stammered, but he too was wiping his tears. "We love you, our sweet flower." 

"I love you too, Dad, Papa. But I'm gonna be okay." Azalea promised. 

She would be okay, but I certainly wouldn't. I stayed strong for her and nodded. "I know you'll take good care of yourself, darling, but you can call either one of us anytime."

"I promise I'll call home and I'll visit on the weekends." She whispered. 

"We're counting on that." Jim said. I wanted to say something similar but I was afraid if I spoke I'd just break down a cry. "L-Love you, dear." I choked. 

Azalea smiled. "Thank you for everything. Best fathers I could ask for."

"And you're the best daughter." Jim said. "Obviously she's the best. She's _ours._ " I agreed. 

"Now have lots of fun, darling, but don't party too hard without us."

"He means, study hard and get good grades." Jim translated. "Right." I winked at her and she winked back. 

And with that sad eyed goodbye we hesitantly left the dorm. Once I heard the door shut I felt the finality of it all encase me and that was made me seriously cry and cry ugly. I bawled the entire drive back home despite Jim's attempts to comfort me. I was excited for Azalea and this new chapter in her life, but I wasn't ready to give up my baby.

Even though Phoebe and Joe were still with us I had a feeling that Garden Lodge would be eerily quiet without Azalea's antics. I considered sending out a threat level ay-oh because spending the night without her was too much to handle. 

"SURPRISE!" The Mays and the Deacons greeted us alongside Miami. 

"W-What are you all doing here, darlings?" I gasped. "This is a lovely surprise, but you nearly gave me a sheer heart attack!" 

"We knew you'd be sad, so we told everyone to come over to comfort you." Phoebe explained. "I made lots of food." Joe announced. "Who's hungry?"

"We'll be okay." Jim said taking my hand, and this time I believed him. "We'll be okay." I reiterated. 


	10. Group Chat 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Queen Group Chat in the Blind AU

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's some Blind AU Queen Group chat scenarios. Enjoy!

**Queen** 👑

**Members:**

**Freddie** 😸

 **Brian** 🚀

 **John** 😊

 ** _Brian_** 🚀 _has added_ **_Roger_** 🚗 _to the chat_

 **Brian** 🚀: _I added Roger to our chat. Bri_

 **John** 😊: _Yes we can see that._

 **Roger** 🚗 **:** _Dam right we can see_ 👀👀👀 _I like this emoji_ 👀👀👀

 **Roger** 🚗 _: Wow!There are so many emojis! Too many things to see!_ 😈🤠😛

 **Roger** 🚗 **:** _Emojis dont translate to the braille cheat sheet. which emoji is a sad emoji &_

 **Roger** 🚗 **:** _That & was meant to be a question mark BRIAN HELP ME FIND THE QUESTION MARK_

 **Brian** 🚀: _He just got his new phone today and is still getting used to seeing and using screens. Bri_

 **Roger** 🚗: _Haha its poop with a face_ 💩💩💩💩

 **Freddie** 😸: _Welcome darling!_

 **Roger** 🚗: ???

 **John** 😊: _You found the question mark. Good job!_

 **Roger** 🚗: _yeah but im asking Freddie what do you mean by darling?_

 **Freddie** 😸: _What do you mean? I call everyone darling, darling._ 🥰

 **Roger** 🚗: _ooooh that says darling. I thought it said darting. Sometimes I forget that the little t has a line across it and it looks like a little l_

 **Brian** 🚀: _He's learning and we're proud_ _._ 😍 _Bri_

 **Roger** 🚗: _Don't wanna brag but im writing this without the braille cheat sheet_ 😄

 **Roger** 🚗: _JK I do wanna brag! IM AWESOME_

 **Freddie** 😸: _Yes you are_! 💕

 **Roger** 🚗: _YES I AM_

 **Roger** 🚗: _FUCK!_

 **Roger** 🚗: _BRIAN HELP ALL THE LETTERS ARE UPPER CASE_

 **John** 😊: _You're such a Boomer and I love it! Congrats on your new phone and all the progress you've been making!_

 **Roger** 🚗: _I BROKE THE TEXTING_

 **Roger** 🚗: _BRIAN WHY WONT YOU HELP ME_

 **Brian** 🚀: _You don't have to text. I'm sitting right next to you. Give me your phone. Bri_

***

 **Roger** 🚗: _Guess what bitches! I discovered the middle finger!_ 🖕🏻🖕🏻🖕🏻🖕🏻🖕🏻

 **John** 😊: _I need context_.

 **Brian** 🚀 **:** _We were driving and Roger cut someone off and they gave him the finger. This was his first time seeing the gesture. I had to explain to him what it meant. Bri_

 ** _Roger_** 🚗 **:** 🖕🏻🖕🏻🖕🏻🖕🏻

 **Freddie** 😸 **:** _You've created a monster Brian. I hope you're happy darling._

 **Brian** 🚀 **:** _I already regret it Bri_

_***_

**Freddie** 😸 **:** _Threat Level Ay-Oh!_

 **John** 😊 **:** _Oh no! What happened?_

 **Brian** 🚀 **:** _On my way Bri_

 **Freddie** 😸 **:** _It's awful darlings! Jim was styling my hair and he found a gray hair_ 😫 _I'm too young for this to happen!_ 😰😭

 **Brian** 🚀 **:** _Never mind. Bri_

 **John** 😊 **:** 🤦‍♂️

 **Roger** 🚗 **:** _I'm confused. WTF is a gay hair?_

 **Freddie** 😸 **:** _Stop mocking me!_

 **Roger** 🚗 **:** _wait that said gray hair. My bad._

 **Freddie** 😸 **:** _The only solution is to wear my short shorts. That way everyone will be so busy staring at my butt that they won't notice my gray hair. Am I brilliant or what?_ 😅

***

 **Roger** 🚗 **:** _Help! I'm locked in the cupboard!_

 **Brian** 🚀 **:** _I've only been gone for 5 minutes. How did this happen? Bri_

 **Freddie** 😸 **:** _You can't leave him unsupervised._

 **Roger** 🚗 **:** _The door is jammed. HELP!_

 **John** 😊 **:** _Don't worry Roger. I'll get you out of there! I'm coming over with my screwdriver. That should do the trick!_

 **Freddie** 😸 **:** _DEAKY IS A HERO_ 💖  
  
  


_Bri_


	11. Group Chat 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I honestly don't even know what this is. My attempts at humor are weird.

**Queen** 👑

**Members:**

**Freddie** 😸

 **Brian** 🚀

 **John** 😊

 **Roger** 🚗

 **Jim** 🌸

 **Freddie** 😸 _has removed_ **Jim** 🌸 _from the chat._

 **Freddie** 😸: _Threat level Ay Oh!  
_

 **Roger** 🚗: _Jim, if you hurt Freddie I will kill you!_ 😡😡😡

 **Freddie** 😸: _I'm afraid my husband is anti-gay._ 😪 _After four years of a happy marriage and raising a beautiful little girl together, Jim's homophobia has been exposed._

 **Brian** 🚀: _What did he do? Bri  
_

 **John** 😊: _I doubt it was anything that bad.  
_

 **Roger** 🚗: _Has_ _he secretly been saying "no homo" after all these years of loving you?  
_

 **Freddie** 😸: _Azalea didn't want to play with the Mr. Potato Head that Jim's mum bought her for her birthday. I concluded that Mr. Potato Head just wasn't gay enough for her, so I gave her a gay potato to play with instead._

 **John** 😊: _What's a gay potato?  
_

 **Freddie** 😸: _A potato that prefers the company of potatoes of the same sex.  
_

 **Brian** 🚀: _How does this make Jim homophobic? Bri  
_

 **Freddie** 😸: _Azalea refused to play with the gay potato and only likes to play with her plushie Kitty Meowy. That's fine. But then Jim took the gay potato and used it to make his famous potato salad. HE BUTCHERED THE GAY POTATO! That is a hate crime! I called the FBI to have them investigate, but they hung up on me._

 **Brian** 🚀: _This is why cancel culture is so toxic. When there's actual bigots out there who deserve to be shunned, it won't be taken as seriously because good people's lives are being ruined for no damn reason. Bri  
_

 **John** 😊: _All potatoes matter!  
_

 **Freddie** 😸 _has removed_ **John** 😊 _and_ **Brian** 🚀 _from the chat.  
_

 **Roger** 🚗: _I like potato salad_

 **Freddie** 😸 _has removed_ **Roger** 🚗 _from the chat.  
_

 **Freddie** 😸: _Shit! I'm the only one left. I guess I should cancel myself._


	12. Group Chat 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Maylor wedding chapter will be out soon! In the meantime enjoy some more silly stuff!!

**Queen** 👑

**Members:**

**Freddie** 😸

 **Brian** 🚀

 **John** 😊

 **Roger** 🚗

**Roger** 🚗: _We're all out of peanut bitter!_

 **John** 😊: _What's peanut bitter? Is it a bitter tasting peanut butter?  
_

 **Roger** 🚗: _Ducking autocorrect I meant peanut butter!  
_

 **John** 😊: _Quack_ 🦆 _  
_

 **Roger** 🚗: _Duck!_

 **Roger** 🚗: _Fuck! I meant fuck!  
_

 **Roger** 🚗: _We're all out of peanut butter!  
_

 **Freddie** 😸: _Oh dear! Should I issue a threat level Ay-Oh?  
_

 **Brian** 🚀: _We are not out of peanut butter. Everyone remain calm. Bri  
_

 **Roger** 🚗: _Yes we are!  
_

 **Brian** 🚀: _No we are not. I just went shopping. There's a new jar of peanut butter on the top shelf. Bri  
_

 **Roger** 🚗: _Exactly  
_

 **Freddie** 😸: _Ahh, you can't reach the top shelf. Hahaah  
_

 **John** 😊: _Neither can you Freddie  
_

 **Freddie** 😸: _Touche darling  
_

_***_

**Queen** 👑

**Members:**

**Freddie** 😸

 **Brian** 🚀

 **John** 😊

**Freddie** 😸 _has added_ **Miami 🏖** _to the chat_ _  
_

 **Freddie** 😸: _I have a legal question?_ _  
_

 **Miami 🏖** : _Oh no._

 **Freddie** 😸: _Can I sue Brian for being annoying?  
_

 **Brian** 🚀: _What did I do? Bri_

 **Freddie** 😸: _You know what you did.  
_

 **Miami 🏖** : _I don't think there's good reason to sue here.  
_

 **John** 😊: _Can we throw peanuts at him instead?  
_

**Miami 🏖** _has left the chat  
_

**John** 😊 _: I'll take that as a yes  
_

***

 **Queen** 👑

**Members:**

**Freddie** 😸

 **Brian** 🚀

 **John** 😊

 **Roger** 🚗

 **Jim** 🌸

**John** 😊: _Robert is teething. He won't stop crying. Poor thing!  
_

 **Brian** 🚀: _Oh no! Bri  
_

 **Jim** 🌸: _Try rubbing some whiskey on his gums.  
_

 **Roger** 🚗: _They didn't teach me that in dental school yet.  
_

 **John** 😊: _I'll try it nonetheless cause we're desperate. Thanks for the advice Jim!_

 **Freddie** 😸: _Alcohol is always the answer!  
_

 **Roger** 🚗: _But they didn't teach me that in dental school yet!  
_

 **Freddie** 😸: _You're only in dental school, darling, so you're not really a teeth expert yet.  
_

 **Roger** 🚗: _And you are?  
_

 **Freddie** 😸: _I have 4 extra incisors, so yeah I am.  
_

***

 **Roger** 🚗 **:** _Hazel got in trouble at school today and Bri and I got called to the principal's office._

 **Brian** 🚀: _I'm so embarrassed! Bri_

 **Freddie** 😸: _The first time you're called to the principal's office is always the worst but it gets better. Azalea's in there so often that the principal started giving us candy when we're called in.  
_

 **Jim** 🌸: _Honey we've talked about this. We don't brag about our daughter's bad behavior.  
_

 **Freddie** 😸: _It's not bad behavior! It's just harmless pranks. Bringing a cat to school, putting a whoopie cushion on the teacher's chair, and writing REDRUM on the bathroom mirror. I'm very proud that our daughter is the class clown!  
_

 **John** 😊: _What did Hazel do? Did her Elsa t-shirt break the school dress code policy or something?  
_

 **Roger** 🚗: _The kids were making a collage to hang outside the classroom with all of their favorite quotes. Hazel's favorite quote came from me.  
_

 **Freddie** 😸: _Roger what did you do?  
_

 **Roger** 🚗: _For her quote Hazel literally wrote:"That's what"- She. Hazel thought this quote from She is very important because her Papa is always saying it. God I love my daughter so much!  
_

 **Brian** 🚀: _Roger is officially grounded. Bri  
_

_***_

**Freddie** 😸 _has added_ **Miami 🏖** _to the chat_ _  
_

 **Freddie** 😸: _Azalea got bullied on the playground today. Can you help us get away with murder?_

**Miami 🏖** _has left the chat_ _  
_

**Freddie** 😸: _Oh come on! There's nothing wrong with murdering kids! Especially if they're no good sons of bitches who hurt my precious flower!_

_***_

**John** 😊: _How did your STEM day presentation at Hazel's school go?_

 **Brian** 🚀: _I thought it was going well. But then when I asked if there were any questions, I realized half the kids were sleeping. The other half only asked questions about my hair. And all Hazel wanted to know was whether we could get ice cream after school. Bri_

 **Roger** 🚗: _Can we get ice cream? Also, how many individual curls are there in your hair? Billions, right? As many curls as there are stars in the sky?_

 **Freddie** 😸: _Some mysteries are better left unanswered, darling._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope everyone has a fun 4th of July weekend, but please stay safe!!!


	13. Crazy Little Thing Called Cancel Culture

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had this silly idea making fun of woke cancel culture. Hopefully it won't get me cancelled. This is another one that takes place in the future and features the Deaklings along with Hazel and Azalea. Remember though it's a PARODY so don't take it too seriously.

_Freddie's POV_

It was my favorite time of day. Assisting Jim on his afternoon flower deliveries and going to pick up Azalea from school. In other words, giving Terry a break so Jim could be my driver. I would force him to take so many miscellaneous stops along the way: the drive thru for milkshakes and snacks, the pet store--you can't have enough cats, the jewelers--you can't have enough diamonds, and basically anything else that I wanted from clothes to accessories. When Azalea got in the car there was barely enough space for her in the backseat because of all the shopping I'd do. Granted, a lot of the stuff was for her because I loved spoiling her. Today was no exception. The surprise waiting for her in the car was a new pair of jeans with a butterfly belt to go with it, a pair of rainbow light up sneakers, and a t-shirt with a cute monkey on it. She would absolutely love it (hopefully)!

The school bell rang and the kids eagerly ran out of the hellish prison cell. This was it! I stepped out of the passenger seat. Scanning the swarm of children smacking each other with their backpacks as they rushed out, I tried to spot Azalea. I put my shoulders back and stood up confidently to my full height and belted "AY-OH!"

Sure enough.. "AY-OH!" Azalea leapt into my arms. "Papa!" She squealed. "Oh my darling!" She squirmed as I covered her in kisses. "Hurry. I'm going to help you break free of this god awful place. Quickly to the car!"

"Hey honey, how was school?" Jim responded casually as if it hadn't be an excruciating seven and a half hours since we had last seen our sweet girl.

"It was good." She replied with a smirk. Uh-oh. I knew that look. "What did my little prankster do this time?" I grinned.

Azalea hesitated. "So you know Baby Shark?"

Jim looked baffled, but I wanted to seem cool. "Of course I know Baby Shark, but Jaws was never my scene, so it's not really my thing."

"Yeah so before Mrs. Young's class during break I was in the library. I bribed the IT guy with Uncle Joe's cookies, so he showed me how to do the screen sharing thing. So I had the video Baby Shark playing on an endless loop on the library computer and the screen was shared with Mrs. Young's computer so when she put on the smart board it was playing and she couldn't stop it. It was hilarious! Best prank ever!" Azalea laughed.

I was clueless as to what any of that meant and I doubt Jim could follow it either. I faked a laugh along with Azalea so she thought I understood.

"Anyway, they want you to see this." She reached into her backpack and took out a crumbled piece of paper. "It's about the white patriarchy or something."

"Ahh, the white patriarchy. I used to hate that shit until Brian reminded me that Deaky is a straight white man and Deaky can't be associated with anything bad." I mused. "But yeah, the other heterosexual white dudes can suck my dick."

"What about Paul McCartney? He's a straight white man." Jim pointed out. "Oh you're right, dear. I forgot about the Beatles. I guess there are some decent straight white men out there." I acknowledged.

I scanned the letter that Azalea had given me, reading it aloud because Jim was driving and couldn't look at it.

_Dear students, faculty, and parents,_

_It has been brought to our attention that math is racist because not all numbers are equal. Therefore, it is cancelled. So effective immediately Galileo K-12 will no longer be engaging in such hurtful practices. We sincerely apologize to all those who have been harmed by the bigoted long division problems. These exercises are outdated and do not reflect the inclusive values of our school._

_Instead of math hour, students will be researching_ _a historical_ _wom_ _an_ _chosen from the list of diverse names below_ _._ _This will culminate in a presentation_ _on these strong, brave women_ _at the end of the semester during our annual Assembly of Wokeness and Humanity._

_Sincerely,_

_PC Principal_

"A bunch of girls chose Beyonce, but I signed up for Aretha Franklin. I'm gonna give the best presentation ever at the AWH this year!" Azalea proclaimed.

"That's my girl!" I applauded. "I'm so proud of you, darling."

"I think you should learn math." Jim frowned. "And Beyonce isn't even historical."

"I think you should get out of the car and walk home." I challenged.

"Freddie, I'm the one driving." He pointed out. Shit! I forgot about that.   
  
  


_Roger's POV_

"Hazel, my angel!" I cooed as I buckled her seatbelt. "Did you have a good day?"

"Papa, they want you to see this!" She took a letter out of her bag. I glanced over it before I started driving.

"I always knew math was racist!" I exclaimed. "Wait till I tell Brian."

"I'm sad 'cause Ana and Elsa aren't on the list." Hazel pouted.

"Oh honey, you've gotta let it go." I kissed her cheek and then went into the drivers' seat to take us home.

***

_John's POV_

"What's wrong with math? I love math! It's my favorite subject." I shook my head as I read over the letter again.

"I wanna do my presentation of Joan of Arc! She sounds awesome!" Robert exclaimed. He definitely wasn't this enthusiastic about math, but I was happy that he was eager to learn something.

"Who should I pick, Daddy?" Michael asked. "I can't read all the names. Can you read them to me?" He was only in Kindergarten, but I guess it was never too early to learn about a heroic woman. I had no problem with that. Eliminating math, on the other hand, made me slightly mad.

"Can I learn too?" Laura, who was only in preschool, took the letter and began to color over it with her crayon box.

"What do you make of all this?" I turned to my wife who was resting on the couch with her swollen feet elevated. Her hands rested on her eight month pregnant belly. "I think if they wanna learn about a heroic woman, they should look no further than their own mother." She sighed. "I could really use a foot massage."  
  


_Brian's POV_

"Just because you dislike math doesn't make it racist, Roger." I said as calmly as I could.

"Yes it does and here's the confirmation in writing." He shoved the letter in my face. "See? Look, right here! Let me highlight it for you!"

"This is ridiculous." I sighed. "The kids need to learn math. I'm gonna call the principal and see what led him to this asinine decision."

"NO! Don't do that! If you do that you'll get cancelled. All that hard work you're putting into your latest book on Saturn's rings will be for nothing. You'll be blacklisted and never published again." Roger cried.

"But I have to say something. This is Hazel's education we're talking about." I argued.

"Daddy, Papa." Hazel stepped out of her bedroom clutching her unicorn plushie. "Can you check my bed for the Boogeyman? I thought I heard something."

I instantly softened. "There's no Boogeyman." I assured her. "But we'll check if that'll help."

We crouched down to inspect underneath the bed. "There's nothing there." I told Hazel.

"What's that?" Roger quipped. "Ohh, it's just some dust bunnies. They can't hurt you, sweetheart. There's nothing to be afraid of."

"Are you sure?" Hazel hugged her unicorn against her chest.

"Positive. You're safe." Roger said. "No Boogeymen, no evil snow monsters. It's all in your imagination."

"But I'm scared." Hazel murmured.

"How about we talk about something to take you're mind off it?" I suggested. "Have you picked someone on the list of women to do your project?"

Hazel shook her head. "There's no princesses on the list."

"No, but Cleopatra is on the list and she's a queen." I suggested.

"Is she from Arendelle?" Hazel asked.

"Honey, we've been through this. Arendelle isn't real but it's based on a real place called Norway." I said gently.

Once again when I told her this, tears filled her eyes. "It's real. You're just lying, Daddy!"

"Of course he's lying. Arendelle is real. No need to cry about it." Roger was too quick to give in to Hazel's Frozen obsession and paint me as the bad guy. "But you've gotta pick someone from the list even though they didn't include Ana and Elsa. You'll learn about someone new. Isn't that exciting?"

"Maybe." Hazel sniffled.

"Here. Let's all look at this list together." I pulled up the emailed version of the list on my phone.

"Amelia Earhart." I pointed to the first name. "She was an airplane pilot. Isn't that cool?"

"I don't like going on airplanes. They're scary." Hazel complained.

I went to the next name. "Harriet Tubman she was a hero who escaped slavery and risked her life rescuing others from slavery."

"That sounds really brave." Hazel said. "These women might be fun to learn about after all. What did the next person do?"

"Susan B Anthony helped fight for women's right to vote..." I went down the list and couldn't help but notice the little sparkle in Hazel's eyes as these women's stories inspired her. This was good for her to learn. She could break any glass ceiling that stood in her way. Of course learning math would help her succeed, but that was another issue altogether.

"Beyonce." I read the next name and did a double take. "Wait why is she on the list?"

"Quiet, Brian! Don't let the mob hear you say that!" Roger hushed. 

I rolled my eyes. "I'm not talking about her talent or artistry. I'm just saying that every other woman on this list is a historical figure and Beyonce is contemporary."

"That's because she transcends time!" Roger exclaimed.

"Everyone in the whole second grade class is going to do a presentation on Beyonce. I don't to be a copy cat." Hazel remarked. 

"Good for you, honey. You march to the beat of your own drum." I applauded her. 

"Like Papa?" She giggled. That got Roger to grin. He mimicked a drum beat with his hands. 

"Who's the next person on the list, Daddy?" Hazel asked, now very eager to learn about real women besides Ana and Elsa. 

"Helen Keller." I read the next name. 

Much to my surprise Roger laughed. "She's awesome and taught me an invaluable life lesson. Being blind sucks but at least I'm not deaf." 

"She was deaf?" Hazel asked. 

"And blind." Roger stated. 

"Whoa." Hazel tried to consider that. "How did she live?"

"She relied a lot on her sense of touch for almost everything." Roger explained. 

"Yeah but...if you can't see or hear anything then...you can't really do anything." Hazel was having difficultly wrapping her head around it, and I didn't blame her. About a year or two ago when she was old enough to understand and start asking questions about Roger's past, Roger decided the best way to show Hazel what he had to go through was to have her experience it herself and had her wear a blindfold for a few minutes. In the end I was glad Roger did that because it made Hazel more empathetic and aware of others' experiences. 

"So do you wanna do your project on Helen Keller?" I proposed. 

"Yeah Daddy! I really wanna learn more about her. Did she meet her soulmate and get her sight like you, Papa?"

Roger looked to me wistfully. "No I'm afraid she wasn't as lucky as me, but her story is pretty incredible. They even made a play all about it called the Miracle Worker."

***

_Roger's POV_

Hazel came running to me with the biggest smile on her face. Good day at school! "Hi honey!" I chirped, giving her a big hug. "I take it today went well."

"Math class was cancelled and we got to talk about how much men suck instead. It was great. Then at recess, I got to play with the big kids because they got extra recess time instead of math. Azalea was singing all the Aretha Franklin songs on the playground and Robert let me play pirates with him." 

"That's great!" I exclaimed. It was always a joy when the cousins got along with each other. I wanted Hazel growing up with close family ties so she knew how much she was loved. 

"Papa, when we get home can we watch--"

"--There are other movies besides Frozen and Frozen 2!" I predicted what she was going to ask. 

"I want to watch the Miracle Worker." Hazel surprised me. "My teacher said they made a movie on it. Can we watch it please?"

"Oh yes of course. That sounds like a great idea. We can watch it together." I agreed. 

***

"Okay, we can rent the movie for 2.99." I announced. 

"But for 4.99, we can rent it in HD. That's only $1 more." Hazel pointed out. 

"Um, no that's $2 more, but I suppose it's worth it." I decided. 

When I pointed out her addition error, Hazel only shrugged and murmured that math was racist and had no place in our society. Maybe Brian was right and cancelling math would have adverse consequences. 

Before I could start the movie, I received an email. It was from Hazel's school. Hmm. I saw that it was sent out to all the parents, including Brian. Knowing him he'd probably drop everything to read it despite being at work. 

_Dear students, faculty, and parents,_

_I have some unfortunate news. A parent who wishes to remain anonymous named Karen White is complaining about the recent changes in the school's curriculum. She is threatening to sue the school as a result. Karen White, who wishes to remain anonymous, claims that learning about diverse, heroic women such as Harriet Tubman and Anne Frank is too upsetting for her young child. If it were not for the potential law suit, these issues would be ignored on behalf of the greater goodness of staying woke. Furthermore, another parent contacted us named Caryn Wite (who also wishes to remain anonymous). She asked if it was appropriate for her Caucasian child to use blackface while doing the presentation on Rosa Parks. Caryn Wite, who wishes to remain anonymous, also threatened to call the police on the school and have the administration arrested. At this point, it would be less problematic to bring back math and risk getting cancelled. Bottom line is we pissed off the Karens and we are sorry._

_Sincerely,_

_PC Principal_

"Aw man! I wanted to learn about Helen Keller and watch the movie!" Hazel groaned.

It was a shame there wasn't a way to keep math while also incorporating this new curriculum, but both the Karens and the cancel culture made that impossible. Either way I wasn't going to let my daughter miss out on an educational opportunity even if it wasn't in a classroom. 

"You still can learn about Helen Keller and all these famous women." I told her. "There are lot of important things you can learn both in and out of school. So maybe it's a good thing that they're bringing math back. Knowledge is power you know. Now let's watch the movie before it gets cancelled." 

**Author's Note:**

> If you have any requests or prompts or ideas of Roger seeing something for the first time that I didn't already cover just let me know.


End file.
